Department of Health and Social Care

Medical Records: Databases

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using Blockchain technology to store, update and access patient records in the NHS.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department is currently assessing the potential benefits of Blockchain along with a number of other innovative, emerging technologies. Blockchain has the potential to enable patients to have greater control over who can access their records through the use of encrypted data and a permanent ledger in which all transactions are recorded.

Ambulance Services: Road Traffic Offences

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 December 2017 to Question 120444, on Ambulance Services: Road Traffic Offences, if he will take steps to begin the centralised collection of data referred to in the question.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that there are no plans to collect this information centrally. Such issues are operational matters for National Health Service ambulance trusts.

Hospitals: Staff

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure sufficient staff in hospitals during statutory holiday periods.

Stephen Barclay: In the autumn Budget the Government allocated £337 million available immediately, to allow trusts to improve resilience this winter. The package includes more hospital beds, community services, mental health services and urgent general practitioner appointments to manage the expected rise in demand. The Government expects National Health Service trusts to ensure they have the right staff, with the right skills in place at the right time including during statutory holiday periods. The National Quality Board for England has issued guidance to support trusts as they discharge this responsibility through their own local processes. NHS Improvement issued rostering guidance in 2016, identifying best practice in this area. The document is available at: https://improvement.nhs.uk/uploads/documents/Rostering_Good_Practice_Guidance_Final_v2.pdf In many cases, the Christmas holidays are the most challenging and trusts often have additional policy to ensure that during this period additional leave is not agreed. Appropriate staffing levels are a core element of the Care Quality Commission’s registration regime and the Chief Inspector of Hospitals can also take action if hospitals are found to be compromising patient care by not having the right number or mix of staff on wards.

NHS: Directors

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his answer of 4 December 2017 to Question 115611 on NHS: Directors, when he plans to publish the information for 2016-17.

Stephen Barclay: Information on above inflation salary increases or bonus schemes for National Health Service Directors in NHS ambulance trusts and NHS community trusts in 2016/17 will be published in the trusts’ annual accounts as part of information on board remuneration. NHS Improvement collects information on salary increases or bonus schemes for NHS Directors in ambulance trusts and NHS community trusts and returns received to date for 2016/17 are set out in the table below. NHS BodyNumber of BonusesTotal £NHS Ambulance Trusts2£8,545NHS Community Trusts1£7,698

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the take-up rate for cervical screening in (a) England, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) York was in 2017.

Steve Brine: The National Health Service Cervical Screening Programme measures coverage rather than uptake rate. NHS England is responsible for monitoring the coverage rates for cervical screening in all age groups and is committed to improving coverage and reducing variation between all age groups. Data are provided by NHS Digital and are available at: https://digital.nhs.uk/article/7035/Cervical-screening-programme-coverage General practitioner/clinical commissioning group level coverage is available at: http://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB24229 The percentage of coverage for each area requested as at the end of 2016-17 is: England 72.0%; North Yorkshire 78.1%; York 73.0%.

Antenatal Care

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which clinical commissioning groups do not provide NHS antenatal classes.

Stephen Barclay: The information about which clinical commissioning groups provide National Health Service antenatal classes is not held centrally. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Quality Standards (QS22) for antenatal care states that services should be commissioned from, and coordinated across, all relevant agencies encompassing the antenatal care part of the maternity pathway.

Heart Diseases: Surgery

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with (a) NHS Trusts (b) other health professionals on Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation bed capacity in England.

Stephen Barclay: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and his Ministers meet with a variety of stakeholders on a regular basis, and discuss a range of operational issues.

Heart Diseases: Surgery

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation beds in the NHS in England.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England commissions both adult and paediatric respiratory Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation services from five designated centres. NHS England actively monitors bed capacity and, in periods of high demand, capacity can be increased in line with an agreed standard operating procedure. The standard operating procedure is available on the NHS England website via the link below:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/ccs/

Health Services: Equality

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to close the life expectancy gap between poorer and wealthier areas and to improve health equality.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is acting to reduce health inequalities by addressing the social causes of ill health, promoting healthier lifestyles for all and tackling differences in outcomes of NHS services, all underpinned by legal duties. Action is led locally to ensure the solutions put in place reflect the needs of individual communities. There remains too much variation in terms of health outcomes overall, but life expectancy is the highest it has ever been, and in 2017 smoking rates were at an all-time low and cancer survival rates at a record high. We are investing more than £16 billion in local government services over the current spending period to help tackle public health issues – such as obesity and smoking – major causes of poor health. This is in addition to free NHS Health Checks, screening programmes and funding for campaigns such as Be Clear on Cancer. The Government has launched a world-leading childhood obesity plan and published a Tobacco Control Plan to reduce smoking rates even further on the way to a smoke-free generation. Addressing health inequalities is also a core part of Public Health England Mission and Strategic Vision for 2020. They have published a number of statistics, evidence reports and tools to enable local government and the wider public health system to take effective action on health equity. Examples of their work include targeted marketing campaigns on smoking cessation, specifically aimed at vulnerable groups and advocating for the NHS Health Check to be prioritised for people most at risk of cardiovascular disease.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of extending the issuing of maternity exemption certificates to people taking adoption leave.

Stephen Barclay: The Department has made no assessment of the potential benefits of issuing maternity exemption certificates to people taking adoption leave.

Care Homes: Dementia

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to make dementia training compulsory in care homes for older people.

Caroline Dinenage: The Challenge on Dementia 2020, published in February 2015, set the expectation that social care providers deliver appropriate training on dementia to all relevant staff, however we have no plans to make dementia training compulsory in care homes for older people. Since April 2015, newly appointed health care assistants and social care support workers, including those who will provide care and support to people with dementia in care homes have been undergoing training as part of the national implementation of the Care Certificate. The Care Certificate equips new staff with the knowledge and skills which they need to provide safe, compassionate care across a range of areas, including the care of people with dementia. There is no statutory requirement for providers to implement the Care Certificate. Care Quality Commission inspectors do, however, have powers to enforce regulations covering staff induction and training. As such, they would expect to see induction programmes that are broadly equivalent to the Care Certificate standards.

Surgical Mesh Implants: Males

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to investigate the causes of pain and suffering to male patients by mesh implants; and what corrective procedures are being developed by Government health experts.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The main reported complication following abdominal and hernia repair and urogynaecological procedures for both men and women identified by the the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Yellow Card Scheme, is post-operative pain, which may be temporary, but may become a chronic complication and this can happen even in the absence of a repair using a synthetic implant. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a number of guidance documents regarding mesh implants for both men and women. These include the technology appraisal guidance on laparoscopic surgery for inguinal hernia repair which was last reviewed in February 2016 and is available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta83 The medical technologies guidance on the PolySoft hernia patch used with ONSTEP technique to treat inguinal hernias which was published in August 2014 is available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/mib9 NICE is also currently producing guidance relating to ‘Persistent pain: assessment and management’, with a draft guidance consultation due between 22 July -3 September 2019 and the final publication date currently being projected for 20 January 2020, and guidance into laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy for internal rectal prolapse which will include men and is expected to be published on 20 June 2018.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what activities Ministers of his Department took part in as part of STIQ day on 14 January 2018 in order to encourage more people to get regular sexual health checks.

Steve Brine: No specific activities were undertaken as part of STIQ day. We remain committed to continuing to reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). To support this ambition, Public Heath England launched the ‘Protect against STIs’ campaign on 15 December 2017 aimed at 16 to 24-year-olds. The campaign uses innovative, nationwide digital advertising to highlight the increased likelihood of contracting an STI if having sex without a condom and help normalise condom use.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospitals have met the national cancer waiting time standard for commencing chemotherapy treatment within 31 days of a clinical decision having been made in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Brine: 132 out of 139 National Health Service trusts reporting activity in November 2017 (latest data available) met the 98% standard of delivering an anti-cancer drug regimen within one month of a decision to treat. NHS England publishes quarterly performance data on cancer waiting times standards, along with monthly provisional statistics which can be accessed at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

Nurses: Cancer

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many specialist chemotherapy nurses have there been practising in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: Data for chemotherapy nurse specialists is not available in the information held by NHS Digital relating to the National Health Service workforce.

Clinical Trials

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has assessed the effect of the UK losing access to the EU portal and database through which all European clinical research is processed and stored after the UK leaves the EU.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government values the strong collaborative partnerships that we have across the European Union in the areas of science, research and innovation, and as part of Exit negotiations is working to ensure that we have the best possible environment in which to support clinical trials and new medicines after we leave the EU. All clinical trials of investigational medicinal products in the EU are registered and information on the trial and a summary of results is made public in in the EU clinical trials register, except for adult phase one trials which are considered commercially confidential. This information is publicly available now and similar to information that will be publicly available in the new European Medicines Agency clinical trials IT system. In the United Kingdom, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Health Research Authority, ethics services, National Institute for Health Research and National Health Service have been working towards implementation of the new European Clinical Trials Regulation (CTR) since it was agreed in 2014. The application date of the CTR across the EU will be set by the European Commission. The current regulatory approval legislation, portals and databases will stay in place until such time as any changes are needed so there will be no interruption in UK clinical trials approvals.

HM Treasury

Credit Cards: Fees and Charges

Laura Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals for a total cost cap on credit cards of 100 per cent of the original sum borrowed.

John Glen: The regulation of consumer credit, including credit cards, is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The Government has given the FCA strong powers to protect consumers, including the power to cap all forms of consumer credit, and the FCA can do so if it thinks it is necessary to protect consumers. The Government welcomes the FCA’s extensive Credit Card Market Study which identified concerns about persistent credit card debt. The FCA is consulting on remedies, which include encouraging customers to repay more quickly; earlier identification of customers at risk of financial difficulty; and help for customers in persistent debt with escalating measures at 18, 28, and 36 months. The FCA’s proposals also include a voluntary industry agreement to give customers more control over credit limit increases. The FCA is not proposing a price cap as it considers that its proposals are more likely to address the consumer harm it has identified. The Government will continue to work with the FCA to ensure that customers are treated fairly.

Local Government Finance: Greater Manchester

Jo Platt: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2017 to Question 115972 on Infrastructure: Leigh, from which fund the £30m over the next 30 years for local priorities will be allocated.

Robert Jenrick: The Greater Manchester Combined Authority receives an annual Investment Fund grant of £30 million from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Cider: Excise Duties

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the new duty band for high strength white cider on rates of liver disease.

Robert Jenrick: While the government has not made a specific assessment of the impact on rates of liver disease, the new duty band is expected to have a positive impact on the health of individuals in the UK.

Cryptocurrencies

Lyn Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with officials from the Financial Conduct Authority on consumer protection with respect to (a) the marketing of and (b) the regulatory environment for crypto-currencies; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: Treasury ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. This includes regular meetings with the Financial Conduct Authority to discuss relevant regulatory issues, including the regulation of crypto-currencies. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 8 February 2016 to Question 25744 and of 6 June 2016 to Question 38400, when he plans to publish the equity return information on all PFI and PF2 projects.

Robert Jenrick: We plan to publish the equity IRR data for PF2 projects as part of the PFI and PF2 annual summary data, which will be as at 31 March 2017. We expect to publish this data shortly.

Infrastructure: Public Sector

Stella Creasy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many business cases for public sector infrastructure investment projects which are not financed by the private sector his Department has received by (a) Government department, (b) outcome and (c) year since 1990.

Robert Jenrick: The information is not held in the form requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The government provides extensive information on the progress of major projects in the Annual Report on Major Projects. The government also publishes regular updates to the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline of future infrastructure investment, which shows the split between private and public funding. The 2017 National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline provided an update on delivery of priority infrastructure projects since 2010.

Venture Capital: Tax Allowances

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse was of venture capital schemes: tax relief for investors in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014, (f) 2015, (g) 2016 and (h) 2017.

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse was of the enterprise investment scheme in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014, (f) 2015, (g) 2016 and (h) 2017.

Mel Stride: HMRC publishes reports on the estimated cost of the various tax reliefs. Information on the Income Tax relief for investments in Venture Capital Trusts, the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Investment Enterprise Scheme, and Capital Gains Tax relief for the Enterprise Investment Scheme can be found in: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs Information on the Capital Gains Tax relief for investments in Venture Capital Trusts and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme can be found in: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/minor-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs These tables include the information back to 2012-13. Combined IT and CGT relief for years prior to this can be found in:http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120207135500/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/menu.htm

State Retirement Pensions

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the size of the state pension fund was in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014, (f) 2015, (g) 2016 and (h) 2017.

Elizabeth Truss: The National Insurance Fund (NIF) is used to pay for contributory benefits, including the State Pension. The NIF has no borrowing powers, so maintains a working balance of at least 16.6% of projected benefit expenditure to ensure that the NIF can deal with short term fluctuations. Information on the historical NIF receipts and balance is available in the National Insurance Fund Accounts at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-insurance-fund-accounts

Insurance: Equality

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he plans to enact the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services in respect of insurance services.

John Glen: The government believes that it is important that consumers have access to suitable insurance products at the right price. Although various factors can impact on availability, pricing and terms of insurance policies, the Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Regulations 2012 state that insurers cannot price risk on the grounds of gender alone. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry, including insurance firms. The FCA continues to actively investigate issues surrounding access to financial services. It recently opened its ‘future approach to consumers’ consultation paper, which includes a focus on understanding access to and exclusion from financial services.

Child Care Vouchers

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the closure of the childcare vouchers scheme on families with a low household income's ability to afford childcare and early education.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the hon member to the answer I gave on 18 December 2017 to the Right Hon Member for Sevenoaks (PQ118344).

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) parents and (b) families (i) have registered for and (ii) are receiving payments through the tax free childcare scheme.

Lucy Powell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual operating costs of administering (a) tax free childcare and (b) the childcare choices website are.

Lucy Powell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of families who will be registered for the tax-free childcare scheme when it is fully operational in April 2018.

Elizabeth Truss: More than 170,000 parents have a Tax-Free Childcare account. Over 45,000 parents have made a payment from their account. Many of the parents with a Tax-Free Childcare account are accessing 30 hours free childcare, meaning they have not yet needed to use Tax-Free Childcare. The childcare service is being gradually rolled out to parents of older children and therefore we expect usage to increase over time. The average annual operating cost for the childcare service (through which parents access 30 hours free childcare and/or Tax-Free Childcare) over the five years to 2021/22 is estimated as £35.5m. The average annual operating cost for the Childcare Choices site is £8,800. All remaining parents will be able to access Tax-Free Childcare by 14 February. When fully rolled out we estimate that 1.2 million families would be better off under Tax-Free Childcare.

Local Government Finance

Vernon Coaker: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the adequacy of funding for local services.

Robert Jenrick: Between 2015 and 2020 the Government will have made more than £200 billion available for local services. The Government has introduced a number of measures, including providing access to more than £9 billion additional funding for social care, which means that local government’s core spending power increases by 2.1 per cent over the period.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's Late, Missing and Incorrect initiative on the accuracy of PAYE Real Time Information.

Mel Stride: The Late, Missing and Incorrect initiative commenced on 1 November 2017 and aims to increase the accuracy and timeliness of Real Time Information data. HMRC will evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative – which is in its early stages – as it progresses.

Public Sector: Borrowing

Nigel Huddleston: What assessment he has made of potential risks to the economy from high levels of Government borrowing.

John Glen: In 2010 we inherited the largest deficit since the second world war at nearly 10% of GDP. We’ve successfully reduced that to 2.3% last year, but our debt is still too high. High levels of debt leave us vulnerable to economic shocks and incur significant amounts of debt interest. That is why the government has clear fiscal plans to reduce borrowing further and get debt falling.

NHS: Finance

Liz McInnes: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the effect of funding allocations on the quality of services provided by the NHS since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: In 2017 we announced capital funding for a number of trusts, to help them to make local service improvements.This included up to £80m for Greater Manchester – including funding to support the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.I am sure that the Hon. Member will join me in welcoming this investment.

Public Expenditure

Jeremy Lefroy: What comparative assessment he has made of spending on public services in the UK and other developed countries.

Elizabeth Truss: Last year, public spending was 38.9% of GDP, or about £28,500 per household. This is comparable with other leading countries.And we are getting more for our money – public services productivity has increased with Conservatives in government, after falling under Labour.

Cooperatives

Mr Gavin Shuker: What plans he has to increase his Department's support for the co-operative sector.

John Glen: This Government recognises the value of co-operatives and their contribution to the diversity of the UK economy, and is strongly supportive of the sector. For example, before Christmas, my Department legislated to increase the asset and turnover threshold at which co-operatives have to conduct a full audit from April this year. The Government will continue to explore further ways to support the sector.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many tribunal hearings for appeals against the refusal of disability benefits have been attended by presenting officers; and how many of the original tribunal decisions were (a) upheld and (b) overturned since 1 April 2017.

Sarah Newton: The information is not readily available, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many presenting officers have been recruited to represent his Department at tribunal appeals against the refusal of disability benefit in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: While the Department has had presenting officers in the past, 2017 was the first time that individuals were recruited specifically into that role. Therefore there are no other specific recruitment to the presenting officer role in the years prior to 2017 for ESA and PIP.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the written guidance issued to presenting officers for tribunal hearings of appeals against the refusal of (a) employment support allowance, (b) disability living allowance and (c) personal independence payments.

Sarah Newton: Presenting officers use a wide range of guidance in their role that is not specifically aimed at them – for instance, guidance for decision makers which can be found in the Decision Makers Guide (DMG) and Advice for Decision Making Guide (ADM): https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/decision-makers-guide-staff-guide. This guidance is supplemented from time to time with updates to reflect legal and procedural changes. However, for your information I can direct you to generic guidance for presenting officers on the GOV.UK website. For Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Disability Living Allowance please refer to the DMG, paragraph 06429: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/658181/dmgch06.pdf; and for Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit (including ‘new style’ ESA) please refer to the ADM, chapter A5429: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/661477/adma5.pdf

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a continuous payment of employment and support allowance to claimants during their Mandatory Reconsideration period.

Sarah Newton: Employment and Support Allowance, in common with all other benefits, is not paid during the Mandatory Reconsideration period as there are no legal grounds to make a payment of Employment and Support Allowance at this time. There are currently no plans to review this approach. Claimants may be able to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support or Universal Credit while they are waiting for a decision on their mandatory reconsideration.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Disability

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people making a claim for employment support allowance, who fail a work capability assessment, were subsequently unable to claim jobseeker's allowance as they are deemed unfit for work in the last 12 months.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to roll out the yellow card early warning system for benefit sanctions.

Alok Sharma: The Government will consider the findings from the evaluation of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Early Warning System Trial before making decisions on any future roll-out.

Universal Credit

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has plans to allow online applications for universal credit to be made without having to provide bank details.

Alok Sharma: People can already claim Universal Credit online without a bank account and instructions are provided on the bank account page itself. Claimants can also use their relatives’ and appointees’ bank accounts in the short term. However, we would always recommend that claimants have and use their own bank accounts.

Universal Credit: Refugees

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to add newly recognised refugees to the list of groups exempt from the seven day waiting period for universal credit.

Kit Malthouse: From February 2018, newly recognised refugees, like all other claimants will be eligible for Universal Credit from the first day they claim it (subject to satisfying the conditions of entitlement), removing the seven days some households currently have to wait. The most vulnerable refugees such as those with serious illnesses are already exempt.

Employment: Refugees

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department provides to refugees to find employment; and if he will make it his Department’s policy to work with local authorities to increase such support.

Kit Malthouse: Jobcentre Plus work coaches provide tailored support to claimants with complex needs, including refugees, to help them find employment. Refugees will have early access to the Work and Health Programme which will help people who face additional barriers find work. Partnership managers work with a range of stakeholders, including local authorities, to establish what support is available locally, to encourage partnership working and to ensure claimants are signposted appropriately.

Financial Institutions: Pensions

Jared O'Mara: To ask The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of banks and building societies that utilise a clawback feature on their occupational pensions.

Jared O'Mara: To ask The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of any additional state benefits claimed by HSBC/Midland Bank pensioners as a result of the clawback of their occupational pension.

Guy Opperman: The Government does not currently collect this data. Information on the number of banks and building societies that utilise a pension integration or “clawback” feature on their occupational pension is not collated centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost. No estimate has been made of the cost to the public purse of the longstanding practice of private pensions operating integrated pension scheme arrangements.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the number of hours a claimant in the all work related requirements group must seek on the number of claimants facing sanctions as a result of not being able to search for work of 35 hours per week.

Alok Sharma: Work search expectations, including the number of hours a claimant is expected to be available for work, are tailored to the individual and their circumstances and agreed with the claimant before any potential sanction for non-compliance would result. The number of hours expected will be reduced where, any health or caring responsibilities mean it would be unreasonable for the claimant to complete these. For example, a claimant who is the carer for a child aged 3 or 4 would not be expected to do more than 16 hours of work related activity a week. It is only where the claimant has no limitations on their availability or capability that the maximum of 35 hours a week would be expected.

Universal Credit

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit applicants have applied for payments to be paid to (a) the household and (b) split between adults in the same household to date.

Alok Sharma: We do not record statistics on the number of applications for split payments. However, in June 2017, 370,000 households were receiving a payment for Universal Credit.

Universal Credit: Poverty

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will reinstate the universal credit child poverty forecast; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Severe Disability Premium

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were claiming the severe disability premium as of April 2017.

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claiming the severe disability premium as of April 2017 were in the (a) support group of employment and support allowance and (b) work-related activity group for employment and support allowance.

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were claiming the enhanced disability premium as of April 2017.

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were claiming the disability premium as of April 2017.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Such information that is available for Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support and Pension Credit claimants in May 2017 who were in receipt of disability premiums are shown in the following table. Income Support, Pension Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants in receipt of the disability premium, severe disability premium and enhanced disability premium, May-2017, Great Britain Income SupportPension CreditJobseeker’s AllowanceDisability Premium77,8009036,900Severe Disability Premium16,970502,11010,000Enhanced Disability Premium28,510-- Source: DWP 100% and 5% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study data NotesIncome Support and Pension Credit figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Jobseeker’s Allowance figures are rounded to the nearest 100. – denotes nil or negligible.For the JSA figures we have used the 5% WPLS data. The best statistics on benefits are derived from 100% data sources. However, the 5% sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100% data sources. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5% sample data, the proportions derived should be applied to the overall 100% total for the benefit. This is the methodology used to derive the JSA figures provided here.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time has been for mandatory reconsideration in each year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: The average processing time for mandatory reconsideration (MR) decisions to be made is: 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015 - 28.4 working days.1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016 - 7.6 working days.1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017 - 10.2 working days.1 April 2017 – 31 December 2017 - 11.2 working days. The data relates to all DWP Working Age benefits apart from Child Maintenance and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The data is only available from 1 April 2014 because, whilst MR was introduced for the Working Age benefits in October 2013, the volumes from October 2013 – April 2014 (initial Appeals Reform roll-out) were small and so not reflective of normal trends. The data has been measured using the Actual Average Clearance Time (AACT). This measures the average number of working days (excludes weekends and English Bank Holidays) between a mandatory reconsideration application being made and the date the customer was notified of the decision. Information is not available for Child Maintenance and PIP. The annual figures cannot be directly compared to each other as different benefits have been included over time. Whilst all data is provided to 31st December 2017, Attendance Allowance (AA)/Disability Living Allowance (DLA) data is included from April 2014, Universal Credit (UC) from November 2014, and DLA over 65 data from February 2015.

Jobcentres: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect of the closure of Tile Hill jobcentre on levels of poverty in the area served by that jobcentre.

Kit Malthouse: There are no plans to assess poverty levels in connection with closures of individual sites such as Tile Hill Jobcentre. I would stress that the office mergers are not about reducing services but about taking the opportunity to stop spending money on empty space so we can spend more on supporting those in need. The face-to-face support our work coaches offer at jobcentres will continue to be a core part of the service we deliver. National statistics on the number of individuals in relative low income are set out in DWP’s annual ‘Households Below Average Income’ publication. Latest 3-year estimates for the West Midlands region in 2013/14 - 2015/16 show the rate of individuals in low income households at 19%, before housing costs. The number and proportion of individuals in relative low income is not available at a local authority or constituency level because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this geography. Estimates to 2016/17 have been pre-announced to be published in March 2018.

Home Office

Slavery

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the operation of section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the level of compliance by businesses.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to use the powers of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to challenge organisations that are late in filing their modern slavery statements.

Victoria Atkins: As a result of the world-leading provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we have seen thousands of transparency statements published and businesses are now more focused on this issue than ever before. The legislation was designed to harness pressure from civil society and we are pleased that NGOs are using company statements to hold businesses to account, including contacting businesses that have not yet published statements.No injunctions have yet been issued at this early stage of implementation and the Government is taking other action to improve implementation. The Government has strengthened guidance for businesses and recently wrote to over 10,000 businesses that may be required to publish statements reminding them of their obligations and providing useful resources. We expect this activity will further increase the number of statements published.In October the Government also launched a new ‘Business Against Slavery Forum’. This aims to establish a new partnership between Government and business to accelerate progress in tackling modern slavery. It will focus on sharing best practice and building new initiatives to tackle modern slavery, including improving business engagement with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Police

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the number of people applying for positions as Chief Constables; whether the number of such applications has reduced since the introduction of Police & Crime Commissioners; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick  Hurd: Police and Crime Commissioners are responsible for recruiting and appointing chief constables. Information is not collected centrally by the Home Office on the number of people applying for chief constable roles.All potential opportunities in policing should be open to the widest pool of capable candidates. Suitably qualified officers from overseas have been eligible for chief constable posts since the introduction of the Anti Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.The College of Policing is working to broaden the candidate pool from where chief officers can be drawn. This includes proposals for the setting up of a national hub to help develop and select police leaders.

Detection Rates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with police forces on improving their rate of solving crimes.

Mr Nick  Hurd: In 2017, the Minister for Policing and Fire spoke to every force in England and Wales about the changing demands they face, and how these can best be managed. Following this engagement, the Government has proposed an increase in funding of up to £450m across the police system for 2018/19 and highlighted the opportunity modern digital technology offers to enable frontline officers to spend up to an hour a day more at the frontline.

Police: North Yorkshire

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers there were in North Yorkshire in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis.The latest available data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2017’ statistical bulletin, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017Data for previous years can be found in the Open Data tables, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629362/open-data-table-police-workforce.odsThe next release of ‘Police workforce’ statistics is due to be published on 25th January, and will represent the picture as at 30 September 2017.

Police Custody: Sanitary Protection

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2018 to Question  121393, what responses have been received from constabularies in England, as a result of the letter to Chief Constables on sanitary protection arrangements in their respective force areas from the National Policing Lead for Custody, ACC Nev Kemp, dated 21 December 2017.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The analysis of the responses to the letter sent to Chief Constables will be led by the National Policing Lead to inform the new national guidance for officers.

Airguns: Licensing

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to introduce air gun licensing.

Mr Nick  Hurd: We are reviewing the regulation of air weapons in England and Wales, and we have asked for the views of interested parties by 6 February 2018.The review is looking at issues such as manufacturing standards, secure storage and whether current arrangements are sufficient to prevent children gaining access to air weapons. We will also take account of the arrangements in Scotland and Northern Ireland where air weapons are subject to a licensing regime. We will publish the outcome of the review in due course.

Hate Crime

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the rate of hate crime; and whether those steps vary depending on the group targeted by hate crime.

Victoria Atkins: We are committed to addressing all forms of hate crime. In July 2016, the Home Office published Action Against Hate: The UK Government’s Plan for Tackling Hate Crime, an action plan which focuses on five key areas: - preventing hate crime by challenging beliefs and attitudes;- responding to hate crime within our communities;- increasing the reporting of hate crime;- improving support for victims of hate crime; and - building our understanding of hate crimeThe Home Office, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are leading a refresh of this action plan in 2018. The refresh will be overseen by the national Hate Crime Strategy Board which is jointly chaired by the two Departments. Hate crimes are motivated by hostility or prejudice on the grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity – the majority of the actions we are taking forward address all five of these ‘strands’. For example, we have committed up to £900,000 over three years from the Hate Crime Community Projects Fund (HCCPF) for local community projects. Also, in October 2017 the Home Secretary announced £200,000 of Home Office funding for a new national hub that will be run by police officers for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to help the police to tackle the emerging threat of online hate crime. The Home Secretary has asked Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of the Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services to carry out inspection work on hate crime to build a national picture of how effectively and efficiently police forces deal with all five strands of hate crime, including that committed online. However, it is also right that some of our activities address hate crimes targeted at specific groups. Each of the five strands is represented by specific actions in the 2016 Action Plan, and in the 16 Hate Crime Community Projects the Home Office has funded to date. The Home Office is also funding protective security measures at faith institutions, through up to £2.4 million from the Places of Worship scheme and up to £1 million from the Vulnerable Faith Institutions scheme.

Alcoholic Drinks: Drugs

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to collect and publish data on drink spiking.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on tackling incidents of drink spiking since the Government' response to Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs report on Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault in April 2007; and whether she plans to review the Government's policy on tackling drinking spiking.

Victoria Atkins: Since the publication of the Governments response to the ACMD report on Facilitated Sexual Assault we have taken action to protect against opportunistic drug-facilitated sexual assault. GBL and 1,4-B, which are commonly used to spike drinks, have been controlled as Class C drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.It is also an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to give someone any substance without their consent and with the intention of stupefying them so that sexual activity can take place.The review process of the Licensing Act 2003 allows licensing authorities to place conditions on a licence where it is proportionate and appropriate to do so. For example, CCTV requirements where spiking has been identified. Where serious offences have occurred, in particular where the premises has been negligent, the police can apply for an expedited review and the licensing authority can suspend a licence where necessary, as an interim step, pending the review hearing.The Government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, published in March 2016, sets out the Government’s three-pronged approach to preventing alcohol-related crime with particular emphasis on improving local intelligence, establishing effective local partnerships and equipping the police and local authorities with the right set of powers so they can prevent problems and take swift and decisive action after they have occurred.In relation to the ACMD’s recommendation regarding ‘drug detectors’, the Government set up an awareness campaign, ‘Know Your Rights!’ aimed at raising awareness of the risks of drink spiking. These campaigns have been complemented by a number of local schemes.

Asylum

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 26 October 2017, Official Report, column 412, when the Department plans to align the arrangements for covering basic living costs with the arrangements in place for asylum seekers.

Victoria Atkins: In 2016-17 and to date in 2017-18, the subsistence rates paid to adult potential victims of modern slavery was at the level initially tendered in the Adult Victims of Modern Slavery Care and Co-ordination Services Contract.In October 2017, Government announced that it would change the level of financial support paid to potential victims of modern slavery, using the methodology that determines the subsistence rates paid to asylum seekers to ensure that individuals with comparable living needs receive the same level of support, regardless of their immigration status. There will be a higher level of support if victims are pregnant or have young children. The asylum rates are currently being reviewed so it is not possible to say how much they will be in 2018/19.Victims will continue to receive dedicated and expert support, which is tailored to their unique needs as victims of modern slavery. This includes access to legal aid, counselling, NHS medical and dental services. This will ensure there is a fair and consistent approach for all individuals receiving similar government support. Furthermore, more money is being made available to treble the period of “move on” support, which will help people leaving victim support with their transition to other arrangements. It is essential that we target support to confirmed victims, at the point they need it most.

Slavery

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 26 October 2017, Official Report, column 512, when the Government plans officially to adopt the Human Trafficking Foundation's trafficking survivor care standards as a minimum standard for victim support.

Victoria Atkins: On 26 October 2017 the Government announced its plans for reform of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) confirming the Government’s commitment to markedly improving the identification of, and support provided to, victims of modern slavery. This includes incorporating the Human Trafficking Foundation Trafficking Survivor Care Standards as a minimum standard of victim support that will be incorporated into in all future Government adult victim support contracts. Detailed implementation plans for the whole reform programme are currently being developed, and further information will be announced in due course.

Slavery

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 27 October 2017, Official Report, col. 512, when the new digital system will be developed to support the National Referral Mechanism process to make it easier for people on the front line to refer victims for support.

Victoria Atkins: On 26 October 2017 the Government announced its plans for reform of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) confirming the Government’s commitment to markedly improving the identification of, and support provided to, victims of modern slavery. This includes strengthening the role of designated first responders by considering who should be a first responder and how they should be trained, and introducing a new digital system for referrals and case working. We are currently running a procurement exercise for the digital solution and the timetable for building and implementation of the system is dependent on commercial processes.Detailed implementation plans for the whole reform programme are currently being developed and further information will be announced in due course.

Slavery

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department of 26 October 2017, Official Report, col. 512, when she plans to initiate the consultation on the preparation of statutory guidance under s48 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 on the identification of and support for victims of modern slavery; what the terms of reference for that consultation will be; and between what dates that consultation will run.

Victoria Atkins: On 26 October 2017 the Government announced its plans for reform of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) confirming the Government’s commitment to markedly improving the identification of, and support provided to, victims of modern slavery. This includes the laying of regulations to enshrine the rights of victims in law, and the development of statutory guidance under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.Detailed implementation plans for the reform programme are currently being developed, including the process for consulting on the statutory guidance, and further information will be announced in due course.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when she plans to meet the leaders of the four main churches to discuss the restoration of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The department’s priority is to re-establish the fully functioning, inclusive devolved administration that works for everyone in Northern Ireland. In doing so, I will work not just with politicians but all sections of the community in Northern Ireland.

Belfast Agreement: Anniversaries

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans she has to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Belfast Agreement; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The UK Government remains fully committed to the terms of the Belfast Agreement, its principles and its institutions. Events are being planned across a range of sectors to mark this significant anniversary in Northern Ireland - discussions are underway regarding the details of these.The department is clear, however, that the best way for us to mark this event is with a restored Executive in place. My focus remains on working with the Northern Ireland political parties, and, as appropriate, the Irish Government, to this end.

Offences against Children: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will make it her priority to meet the victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government

Planning Permission: Appeals

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 012, Reference ID: 16-012-20140306, of the Government’s Appeals Planning Practice Guidance, what estimate he has made of the number of minerals applications appealed as non-determinations as a result of a breach of the 13-week determination limit since 2011.

Dominic Raab: From 2011 to 2017, 7 appeals were made following the failure of the local planning authority to determine the application within the statutory timescale.

Planning Permission

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications have been called in during the last five years; and how many of those applications related at least in part to development on or adjacent to an airfield.

Dominic Raab: Since 1 January 2013 the Secretary of State has called 86 planning applications. Four involved either an existing airfield or were adjacent to an airfield.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Data Protection

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many data incidents her Department (a) recorded and (b) reported to the Information Commissioner's Office in (i) 2015-16 and (ii) 2016-17.

Margot James: 2015/2016 ​incident management records show the Department captured 4 data breaches​,​ 1​ of which ​were​ sufficiently serious to report to the ICO​. This was a loss by a 3rd party supplier working on behalf of the Office of Civil Society (OCS) collecting survey data​. ​In ​2017​ we introduced a more robust method of incident ​reporting​. In 2016/17 the Department captured ​8 data​ breaches​ of which 3 ​were​ reported to the ICO​.

Data Protection

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport whether she has plans to include the Impress Standards Code in the list of journalism standards codes in section 32(3) of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including the Impress Standards Code in the list of journalism standards codes referred to in section 32(3) of the Data Protection Act 1998, and if she will make a statement.

Margot James: IMPRESS has applied for its Standards Code to be included and the Secretary of State is currently considering this application.

Broadband: Urban Areas

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 156 of the Industrial Strategy, published in November 2017, which towns and cities which will benefit from the roll-out of full fibre in 2017-18.

Margot James: Page 156 of the industrial strategy refers to a market response case study on a partnership between Vodafone and CityFibre. As this is a market response rather than a Government initiative we do not hold the details of their commercial strategy regarding the roll-out of full fibre.

Railways: North of England

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 153 of the Industrial Strategy, published in November 2017, what the timetable is for the installation of trackside infrastructure along the Trans-Pennine Route between Manchester, Leeds and York and for what reasons the plans not extend to Hull.

Margot James: The timetable for the deployment of this infrastructure is in the early stages of development, and we will announce further details in due course. The Trans Pennine Initiative will deliver infrastructure that enables the testing and delivery of rail passenger connectivity on an existing rail route and the viability of using the rail corridor to deploy high capacity, cost effective fibre. A longer route would cost more and, crucially, would take longer to build. These trials are a step on the way to improving rail passenger communications on all mainline routes by 2025.

Broadband: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many postcodes in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency and (b) London are currently earmarked for fibre broadband installation in the next 12 months.

Margot James: The Government does not hold details of suppliers’ commercial plans to extend fibre broadband coverage within London. The Full Fibre Networks Programme (LFFN) has launched a £190m Challenge Fund into which Local Authorities have been invited to bid by 26th January 2018. We previously received an expression of interest from Tower Hamlets Council which referenced Bethnal Green and Bow. We therefore anticipate a bid from them. The Government is currently trialling a voucher scheme which makes full fibre connection vouchers available to SMEs in four regional areas. The Government will make full fibre connection vouchers available for companies across the country in 2018 to help businesses gain the benefits of fibre broadband connectivity.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to pilot the National Citizens Service in Scotland.

Tracey Crouch: Youth policy is a devolved matter and the decision to pilot NCS is a decision for the Scottish Government. It is this Government’s ambition that every young person is able to benefit from NCS regardless of where they live in the United Kingdom.

Art Works: Poland

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to prevent the sale of Polish art which was looted during World War 2.

Michael Ellis: The Government provides guidance for the UK art market to assist them in determining the history of cultural objects in which they deal. Additionally, Arts Council England provides a Cultural Property Advice website which offers advice to the art trade, museums and private individuals on the buying and selling of art. The trade associations for the UK art market publish codes of ethics for their members which the Government expects to see enforced. In September 2017, DCMS hosted an international Conference, attended by the major auction houses, which explored ways of speeding up the identification and return of cultural objects lost during the Nazi era. The Government established the Spoliation Advisory Panel in 2000 to advise on claims for the return of items lost during the Nazi era (1933-1945). The Panel can consider claims for items that are privately owned at the joint request of the claimant and the current owner.

European Capital of Culture

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he or officials of his Department have had with the EU Commission on UK cities' eligibility for the 2023 European Capital of Culture competition since June 2016.

Michael Ellis: DCMS officials have been in regular contact with the European Commission throughout 2016 and 2017 about the European Capital of Culture competition. We are disappointed with the European Commission's actions in discontinuing the competition and will seek further dialogue on this issue. We are also continuing to work closely with the five UK cities who have submitted bids to help them realise their cultural ambitions.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to make a decision on the timing of a possible switchover to digital radio.

Margot James: Since 2010, we have been clear that a potential switchover has to be listener-led and not imposed by government. A decision about the timetable for a future switchover to digital will only be considered once the listening and coverage criteria have been met – that the digital share of listening reaches 50% and that national and local DAB network coverage matches that of FM.

Telephone Preference Service

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether an estimate been made of the extent to which companies are not complying with regulations on preventing nuisance calls for telephone users who subscribe to the Telephone Preference Service.

Margot James: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) are able to enforce monetary penalties on organisations that make nuisance calls to those registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). DCMS do not hold statistics on the number of companies the ICO have brought enforcement action against for breaches of direct marketing regulations. However, the ICO do publish the action they've taken for breaches of, among other things, the TPS on their website at https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/.

Channel Four Television: Location

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the benefits to the West Midlands economy of Channel 4 relocating to Wolverhampton; what his policy is on the location of Channel 4; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: We received a number of submissions to the Channel 4 regional consultation from individuals and local authorities across the UK. No decisions have been taken. The government is working with Channel 4 on how it can best increase its regional impact, and we will set out next steps in due course.

Data Protection: EU Law

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether UK businesses will be required to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679) after 25 May 2018.

Margot James: Yes, all UK businesses together with all organisations that process personal data will be required to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) after 25th May 2018 and the UK's full data protection regime as set out in the Data Protection Bill. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) provides guidance and support to UK organisations and have already published a number of resources on the Commissioner's website (ico.org.uk) to help organisations prepare. The ICO has: launched a dedicated helpline service for smaller organisations; updated its 'SME toolkit' to reflect the requirements of the GDPR; simplified its "12-step" GDPR preparation guidance; and published tailored guidance for charities.

Licensed Premises: Music

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assesment his Department has made of the effect of music venue closures on the working conditions of self-employed musicians.

Margot James: Grassroots music venues are vibrant and vital part of music ecosystem and contribute greatly to the economy. We are committed to ensuring that modern working practices including self-employment are beneficial to the Creative Industries and those that work within it. As part of this the department regularly meets with business groups, trade unions and workers as part of our Industrial Strategy to deliver more skilled, well-paid jobs and build on our reputation as one of the most attractive places in the world to work and do business.

Department of Health

Innovative Medicines and Medical Technology Review

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Government response to the Accelerated Access Review published in November 2017, what plans his Department has to streamline existing routes to market for medical technologies, devices and diagnostics.

Steve Brine: We are introducing a new Accelerated Access Pathway, to streamline regulatory and market access decisions, getting breakthrough products that we believe will be truly transformative to patients more quickly. A new Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) chaired by Sir Andrew Witty, will develop and own the Accelerated Access Pathway which will be operational from April 2018. All products including medical technologies, devices and diagnostics will be eligible for selection. In addition to the new Pathway, the AAC will also make recommendations to the Government and its partners about opportunities to further streamline existing routes to market.

Charles Bonnet Syndrome

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance GPs receive on the recognition and diagnosis of Charles Bonnet Syndrome.

Steve Brine: The content and standard of training for healthcare professionals is the responsibility of training and education providers, royal colleges and professional bodies. It is for primary care professionals to ensure their own professional competence in regard to the recognition and diagnosis of Charles Bonnet Syndrome, and to have regard to relevant guidance published by professional bodies, voluntary sector organisations and others.

Patients: Transport

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on how much was paid by NHS bodies to cover private sector liabilities to workers as a result of the performance problems with Patient Transport Services provided by Coperforma; how much money has been recovered to the public purse from Coperforma as a result of those performance problems; whether outstanding liabilities relating to that Coperforma contract will be recovered following the liquidation of Coperforma Ltd; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission a formal, independent investigation into the outsourcing and performance problems of the Patient Transport Services provided by Coperforma and arms length driver operatives, including an assessment of monies paid to Coperforma and monies paid by the public sector as a result of Coperforma's performance failures; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 8 November 2016 to Question 51429, if he will publish a copy of the validated analysis of costs provided by Coperforma Ltd to the High Weald Havens Clinical Commissioning Group referred to in that Answer; what the value is of invoices the High Weald Havens Clinical Commissioning Group received directly from each trust which incurred private ambulance costs arising from performance problems with Patient Transport Services provided by Coperforma and arms length driver operatives; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not collected centrally.The provision of patient transport services is a matter for local National Health Service commissioners. NHS England has advised that High Weald Havens Clinical Commissioning Group commissioned an independent investigation into these events, which reported in March 2017. Accordingly, there are no plans to undertake a further independent investigation.

Hospital Beds

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of hospital beds there are per one thousand of the population in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.

Stephen Barclay: The information is not available in the format requested. NHS England publishes quarterly data on hospital bed availability and occupancy. This can be found at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/ Health is a devolved matter which means the devolved administrations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland determine their own methods for capturing and publishing data on their number of hospital beds.

Mental Health Services

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidelines his Department issues to people with mental health conditions with financial difficulties on accessing specialised support services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not issue guidelines on accessing specialised support services for people with mental health conditions who may be experiencing financial difficulties. Where financial difficulties are identified as an issue for a person receiving treatment and care for a mental health condition, signposting already exists in some general practitioner (GP) practices and in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services.A person who is experiencing financial difficulties or a debt crisis may approach their GP or another health professional to provide evidence of their mental health condition to their creditors to help aid any support a creditor may be able to provide to that person. The Government is currently reviewing the process for GPs and other health professionals completing Mental Health Evidence Forms to support this process.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Innovate UK

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding was allocated to each NUTS 1 region by Innovate UK in each year since 2007-08.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Innovate UK funds businesses of all sizes so that they can create new products and processes to drive economic growth across the UK. The following are the top-line figures for Innovate UK funding committed by NUTS 1 region since 2007/08 up to and including 2017/18.The numbers have as their source the transparency data for live projects published on the GOV.UK website. RegionTotal Funding Committed (£)East Midlands283,419,250East of England461,104,972London1,101,261,582North East449,350,044North West207,041,458Northern Ireland62,752,435Outside UK3,607,262Scotland307,480,863South East833,743,788South West677,023,311Wales87,598,867West Midlands530,893,361Yorkshire and the Humber368,127,809Grand Total5,373,405,002

Innovate UK: Staff

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Full-Time Equivalent staff are employed by Innovate UK, in each NUTS 1 region.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Section 4.3 of Innovate UK’s 2016/7 Annual Report and Accounts confirms the total number of staff to be 303, with 259 permanent members and 44 interim/agency staff. The majority of the staff are based in Swindon and its surrounding areas.

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding for business investment Wave 1 of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund has allocated to each NUTS 1 region.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The following is the combined data for the first wave of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund:RegionSum of Grant Offered (£)East Midlands12,192,543East of England38,269,053London40,438,683North East11,101,170North West33,461,471Northern Ireland1,125,517Outside UK547,626Scotland43,629,479South East56,769,741South West15,714,413Wales9,157,616West Midlands40,231,384Yorkshire and the Humber9,494,541Grand Total312,133,237 These figures are subject to change through contracting. This data was produced using the transparency data for live projects and supplemented with application data cross-referenced to records Innovate UK are currently maintaining.

Connecting Capability Fund

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding has been allocated from the Connecting Capability Fund to each NUTS 1 region for each year since the fund was created.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Connecting Capability Fund (CCF) was launched by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in April 2017 with £100m funding over 2017-2021 to support universities across England to collaborate together on the commercialisation of research and in working with business. HEFCE has allocated £15m for 2017-18 to higher education institutes in England on the basis of their effectiveness in research commercialisation and working with business and other users of university knowledge and expertise, without regard to regional or NUTS 1 basis. Table 1: CCF Allocations for Financial year 2017-18NUTS Level 1 regionAllocation (£)Allocation as % of TotalEast Midlands1,213,3308.1%East of England1,640,84710.9%London3,623,25224.2%North East713,4694.8%North West1,792,10211.9%South East2,035,43913.6%South West1,094,7517.3%West Midlands1,454,1849.7%Yorkshire and The Humber1,432,6349.6%England total15,000,008100.0% HEFCE has allocated so far a further £19.52M over the period 2018-2021 to 4 projects involving collaborations of HEIs selected through open competition. These projects involve 18 HEIs from across a number of English Regions which will share the funding. Table 2: Projects from Round One. Round One Projects £MNUTS Level 1 Region: Lead HEINUTS Level 1 Region:  Collaborating HEIs 5.0South West (England)South West (England) and South East (England)4.7East of EnglandEast of England and South East (England)5.0North West (England)Yorkshire and The Humber4.8South East (England)West Midlands (England)* * Consortium also includes an HEI in Scotland. HEFCE is currently assessing bids for the remaining £65m of CCF.

Higher Education Innovation Fund

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much money the Higher Education Innovation Fund has allocated to each NUTS 1 region in each year since its creation.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Higher Education Funding Council for England is responsible for allocating Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) to support higher education institutions in England to undertake knowledge exchange with business, charities and others, including research commercialisation. HEIF is allocated on the basis of their effectiveness in research commercialisation and working with business and other users of university knowledge and expertise, without regard to regional or NUTS 1 basis. Allocations over the period 2011-2018 are set out in the table below.NUTS Level 1 regionHEIF Allocations (£M) to English HEIs per Academic Year2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18East Midlands10.6510.6511.4911.4912.6712.8714.99East of England13.2714.2714.5214.5216.4017.8020.42London36.4237.9238.7738.7737.6237.9744.87North East9.269.769.879.878.047.438.60North West16.9717.9717.9617.9619.7119.4622.10South East21.1422.1422.3722.3722.1421.8525.09South West11.8611.8612.4412.4411.5011.6113.67West Midlands15.5716.0716.5416.5415.6815.3817.40Yorkshire and The Humber15.2415.7416.4116.4116.4715.6317.84England total150.37156.37160.37160.37160.23160.02185.00

Rutherford Fund

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much money the Rutherford Fund has allocated to each NUTS 1 region in each year since its creation.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Rutherford Fund will invest more than £100m from 2017/18 to 2020/21, to attract world-leading research talent to the UK, mostly through fellowships at UK universities. The Fund is delivered through partners including the four National Academies, the British Council, Research Councils (and UKRI from April 2018), and others. The Fund makes individual appointments based principally on the quality of research. Government has not set any requirement for delivery partners to allocate funding on a regional or NUTS 1 basis.

Economic Regions: Investment

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 132 of the Industrial Strategy, published in November 2017, what the process will be for the Government to take greater account of disparities between productivity and economic opportunity between different places when making future investment decisions.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government’s ambitious, modern Industrial Strategy sets out a long term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK. We are committed to providing high quality infrastructure to support economic growth and prosperity across all regions of the country, and our approach to major investments will reflect this. While cost-benefit analysis will remain central to our decision-making, we will also make use of broad-based and dynamic assessment techniques that reflect the full potential for infrastructure to support local economies.

Revenue and Customs: Living Wage

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much additional funding is being provided to HMRC for it to comply with the planned increase in the national living wage in April 2018.

Andrew Griffiths: The budget for enforcing the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) has increased from £13.2 million in 2015/16 to £25.3 million for 2017/18. The increase in HM Revenue and Customs’ enforcement resources has enabled an increase in the number of compliance officers available to investigate NMW abuses. The penalty regime has been significantly strengthened in recent years. The Government raised the penalty calculation up to 200% in 2016; this was previously 50% and more recently 100%. We have also changed the penalty cap to apply on a ‘per worker’ rather than ‘per employer’ basis; this ensures that employers who break the law face a penalty equivalent to the arrears they owe their workers, up to £20,000 maximum per worker.

Kids Company

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons the Insolvency Service has not published its report into Kids' Company; and if he will make a statement.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for the Insolvency Service to publish its report into Kids' Company; and if he will make a statement.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will impose a deadline for the Insolvency Service to publish its report into Kids' Company; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Griffiths: Keeping Kids Company Limited was wound up by the court on 20 August 2015 and the Official Receiver was appointed liquidator. He has a statutory duty to report to the creditors of the company as to the assets, liabilities and cause of failure; and to my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State concerning the conduct of the directors. The Official Receiver reported to the creditors on 30 September 2015 and 22 August 2017. As a result of the report on the conduct of the directors the Insolvency Service has commenced proceedings to disqualify those individuals from acting as directors for a period of time. While those proceedings are underway they must be conducted without prejudice so no further statement can be made. Once these proceedings are concluded the Insolvency Service will announce such details as are appropriate.

Energy: Storage

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to encourage the development of an open market for aggregating and trading behind meter storage in ancillary services markets.

Richard Harrington: As set out in our Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan, the Government is committed to ensuring that the market for ancillary services becomes more transparent and new technologies and players (including those on the customer side of the meter) are able to compete on a level playing field. Enabling this does not require legislative changes. The System Operator is setting out a roadmap of improvements on transparency and accessibility in ancillary services markets and, through its Power Responsive initiative, supports providers of new business models in accessing ancillary services markets.

Glass: Manufacturing Industries

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much coal was used for the production of different types of glass in each year since 1992 for which data is available; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold coal consumption statistics at this level of disaggregation; however, the table below presents the final consumption of coal by the UK mineral products industry as a whole from 2005 to 2016: Final consumption of coal by the UK mineral products industry, 2005 – 2016:  Thousand tonnes  Thousand tonnes20051,120 20111,05620061,047 20121,12320071,150 20131,33820081,150 20141,23920091,077 20151,04820101,063 2016813 Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics, table 2.4, available athttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-chapter-2-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to encourage the further development of the offshore wind turbine industry; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 15 January 2018



The UK is at the forefront of offshore wind deployment. The last Contracts for Difference auction (announced 11 September 2017) will bring forward 3.2GW of new offshore wind capacity to be built by 2024. In the Clean Growth Strategy, published on 12 October 2017, the Government reaffirmed our future support for offshore wind stating that we would improve the route to market for renewable technologies such as offshore wind through: Up to £557 million for further Pot 2 Contract for Difference auctions with the next one planned for spring 2019;Working with industry as they develop an ambitious Sector Deal for offshore wind which could result in 10 gigawatts of new capacity, with the opportunity for additional deployment if this is cost effective, built in the 2020s.

Furs: Labelling

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that consumers are provided with sufficient information on product labels to identify real animal fur in products sold in the UK.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department ensures that there are robust protections in place for consumers. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) requires information given to consumers to be accurate and not misleading. The Regulations prohibit commercial practices, such as labelling, which contain false or misleading information, or which omits material information that a consumers needs to make an informed decision. In addition the EU regulation on the labelling and marking of textile products (EU Regulation 1007/2011) requires that the presence of non-textile parts of animal origin in textile products, such as leather, beads, pearls and fur, must be clearly labelled in such a way that is not misleading and that the consumer can understand. The labelling of products containing such materials – even in small quantities – must be labelled or marked with the phrase “Contains non-textile parts of animal origin” whenever they are made available on the market.

Bombardier: Belfast

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans she has to visit Bombardier in Belfast to discuss its ongoing dispute with Boeing; and if she will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Holding answer received on 15 January 2018



My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy visited Bombardier Aerostructures and Engineering Services (Shorts) in Belfast to discuss the Boeing dispute in July; he also visited Bombardier in Montreal in October and met with its Board. Minister Richard Harrington visited Bombardier in Belfast in August. Both the Secretary of State and the Minister are in regular dialogue with Bombardier’s top management in both Belfast and Montreal. In addition, senior BEIS officials continue to visit Belfast frequently for discussions with the company, most recently on the 11th January.The next stage in the dispute proceedings is at the end of January when the International Trade Commission will consider the Department of Commerce’s findings and whether there has been an injury to the US aerospace industry. The Secretary of State will make a statement to the House after the final ruling and will keep under review the need for further direct ministerial visits to the Belfast site.Safeguarding jobs at Bombardier Aerospace (Shorts) in Belfast remains a top priority for the Government and we will continue to do all we can to see the case resolved positively, working closely with Bombardier and the Canadian Government.

Fuel Poverty: North Yorkshire

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households in (a) York Central, (b) City of York local authority area and (c) North Yorkshire are living in fuel poverty.

Claire Perry: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy publishes annual statistics on the number and proportion of households that are in fuel poverty. In 2015, there was an estimated: a) 6,700 households in fuel poverty in York Central (14.5% of total households)b) 9,800 households in fuel poverty in York local authority area (11.5% of total households)c) 29,300 households in fuel poverty in North Yorkshire (11.3% of total households) Household figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.The latest sub-regional fuel poverty statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-sub-regional-statistics

Urban Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the cumulative effect of the closure of (a) banks, (b) post offices, (c) building societies and (d) pubs on the sustainability of high streets.

Andrew Griffiths: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the UK leaving the EU will affect the contracts to produce the payloads for the European Union Global Navigation satellite system in the UK.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Joint Report issued by the UK and EU negotiating teams on 8 December was clear that UK entities would be able to continue to participate in all EU programmes, including the space programmes, financed by the current Multiannual Financial Framework, which ends in 2020. Clearly there will be further discussions on exactly what this means for the individual programmes during Phase 2 of negotiations, but the principle set out in the report is that eligibility of entities located in the UK will be unaffected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

Home Energy and Lifestyle Management

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2018 to Question 121267, what parties have made representations on the matter of the intended sanction of cancellation; what the deadline is for a final decision; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: A notice of intention to impose a sanction of cancellation of a Green Deal Plan was issued on 16th November 2017 in respect of a Plan issued by Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd. Representations have been received from two parties: one sent on behalf of the householders whose property is the subject of the Plan; the other from the Green Deal Finance Company.There is no deadline for a decision but the department has stated its intention to complete the process by 13th February.

Home Energy and Lifestyle Management: Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 120003, how many photovoltaics installations through Green Deal plans provided by Home Energy Lifestyle Management Systems were undertaken in the Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 120003, how many photovoltaics installations through Green Deal plans provided by Home Energy Lifestyle Management Systems were undertaken in the Central Ayrshire constituency.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 120003, how many photovoltaics installations through Green Deal plans provided by Home Energy Lifestyle Management Systems were undertaken in the North Ayrshire and Arran constituency.

Claire Perry: Since the start of the Green Deal in 2013, the following number of homes received photovoltaics through Green Deal plans provided by Home Energy Lifestyle Management Systems in the constituencies requested: Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock81Central Ayrshire149North Ayrshire and Arran80

Palmer and Harvey: Insolvency

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Insolvency Service has received an application from the administrators of Palmer & Harvey for financial assistance with the payment of redundancy pay to staff.

Andrew Griffiths: Eight companies in the Palmer & Harvey group entered into administration on 28 November 2017. A further company entered into administration on 15 December 2017. Matthew Callaghan, Ian Green and Zelf Hussain of PWC were appointed joint Administrators.Around 2,500 staff were subject to immediate redundancies with around a further 450 retained to assist the Administrators in managing the business to an orderly closure.Administrators are not required to apply for financial assistance in such cases. Where an employer enters into formal insolvency, with subsequent job losses, and there is a shortfall of redundancy, notice, wages, holiday pay and pension contributions to employees, the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service is in place to process those claims and make payments in accordance with the statutory limits.As at 12th January 2017, 2,384 claims had been received, out of an expected total of 2,959. Approximately 80% of claimants received some form of payment before Christmas. Where claims are outstanding we are proactively liaising with the claimant and/or the Administrators to obtain the necessary information and aim to process the claim with 48 hours of receipt of the necessary information.

Consumers: Protection

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to repeal the incorporation in UK law of the Consumer Protection Cooperation Regulation after the UK leaves the EU.

Andrew Griffiths: The purpose of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill is to provide a functioning statute book on the day we leave the EU, and ensure that it is for our sovereign Parliament (and in some cases for the devolved legislatures) to make any future changes.The Bill will convert all directly-applicable EU legislation - that is regulations, decisions and tertiary legislation - as it applies in the UK immediately before exit, into domestic law and will preserve all the laws which have been made in the UK to implement EU obligations.Any future changes will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

English Language: Education

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to publish a strategy for English as a Second Language provision in England.

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Casey Report of December 2016, what plans the Government has to improve the provision of English as a second language courses.

Rishi Sunak: The manifesto committed the Government to bring forward a new integration strategy, which will include proposals to teach more people to speak English. We are working closely with other government Departments, including the Department for Education, in preparing the integration strategy, which we will publish for consultation shortly.

Homelessness

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to work with local communities in reducing levels of homelessness in their areas.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Tackling homelessness is a complex issue with no single solution, but we are determined to help the most vulnerable in society.That is why we are providing over £1 billion up to 2020 to reduce all forms of homelessness and rough sleeping, and introducing the most ambitious legislative reform in decades through the Homelessness Reduction Act to ensure people get support sooner. In particular, we are supporting 84 projects through our Homelessness Prevention programme across a variety of areas, ranging from core cities, to coastal towns, to rural areas.We are also providing £28 million to pilot Housing First in three major regions of England. The pilots will support some of the most entrenched rough sleepers off the streets and help them to end their homelessness.The recently established Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce will first deliver a cross-Government strategy to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminate it altogether by 2027. However, it will also drive action to reduce wider homelessness and will have within its remit issues such as prevention and affordability.

Smoke Alarms: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the proportion of households without functioning smoke alarms in (a) the West Midlands, (b) Coventry  and (c) Coventry South constituency in each of the last three years.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 15 January 2018



The Ministry does publish national estimates. These figures can be calculated using Annex Table 2.16 in the 2015-16 English Housing Survey Headline Report (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2015-to-2016-headline-report).

Local Government

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the proportion of time spent dealing with individual local authority matters and combined authority matters by (a) all chief executives of local authorities which are part of a combined authority and (b) the Chief Executive of Walsall Council.

Rishi Sunak: Holding answer received on 16 January 2018



The working patterns of council Chief Executives are entirely local matters which are the responsibility of the council concerned.

Forests: Protection

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many responses his Department received to its consultation on the Housing White Paper; and how many of those responses were about better protection of ancient woodland.

Dominic Raab: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Non-domestic Rates: Liverpool City Region

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 120091 on non-domestic rates: Liverpool City Region, if his Department will expand the scope of the draft Non-Domestic Rating (Property in Common Occupation) Bill with additional clauses to enact those powers.

Jake Berry: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Devolution: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to meet Yorkshire Council Leaders to discuss the proposed One Yorkshire deal.

Jake Berry: My Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State told the House on 30 October that he had received a request to meet Yorkshire and Humber MPs and local council leaders, which he had accepted, and that he looked forward to the meeting. We are now in the process of making arrangements and aim to meet the council leaders and MPs in the coming weeks.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2018 to Question 119163, how many of his Department's Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions have advised that the requested information was not available on the grounds of disproportionate cost associated with data collection and collation in the current session.

Jake Berry: Holding answer received on 16 January 2018



There have been 14 answers given in this session that advise the information is not available on the ground of disproportionate costs.

Homelessness: Rural Areas

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to identify the level of homelessness in rural areas.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government publishes regular statistics on the levels of homelessness and rough sleeping, at national and local authority level. This captures the levels of homelessness and rough sleeping in both urban and rural areas.The latest statistics can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics

Sleeping Rough: Weather

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking reduce the risks faced by people living on the streets during times of sub-zero temperatures.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We expect local authorities to work closely with the voluntary sector to provide basic emergency accommodation to minimise the risk of harm to individuals when the temperature drops, in line with Severe Weather Emergency Protocol guidance. Our new Homelessness Advice and Support Team, drawn from local authorities and the homelessness sector, are providing targeted challenge and support to help local authorities to improve their response to homelessness, which includes their cold weather provision for rough sleepers.However, no one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why the Government has committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminating it altogether by 2027. We have announced a new Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce, chaired by the Housing Secretary, which will drive forward the implementation of a cross-Government strategy to tackle this issue.We have allocated over £1 billion through to 2020, following the 2015 Spending Review, to prevent and reduce all forms of homelessness. This includes £28 million announced at Budget to pilot a Housing First approach for rough sleepers with the most complex needs.

Letting Agents: Fees and Charges

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the introduction of the draft Tenant Fees Bill into the House.

Dominic Raab: On 1 November 2017, the Government published a draft Bill, proposing a ban on letting agent fees for tenants. The draft Bill and explanatory notes can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/draft-tenants-fees-billThe Communities and Local Government Select Committee are conducting an inquiry into the draft Bill. The Government will consider any recommendations of the Committee and then seek to introduce the Bill formally to Parliament as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Incinerators: Waste Disposal

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a moratorium on waste incineration planning consents; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Secretary of State has made no such assessment. However, the Rt. Hon Member is welcome to submit her views on this issue.

Travellers: Trespass

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what accounts taken of the fact that applicants have camped illegally on land for which they are applying for permission when considering planning applications.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Construction

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment is made of whether protection of greenbelt land outweighs unmet assessed housing need when (a) making local plans and (b) considering individual planning applications; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

EU Grants and Loans

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, given the UK’s commitment to participate in the EU’s multilateral financial framework 2014-2020, when the Government plans to make funding available from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Jake Berry: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Travel

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on (a) taxis, (b) first class train tickets and (c) business class air travel in each of the last four years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Ministry of Defence (MOD) expenditure on taxi fares is not recorded separately from expenditure on other types of public transport where fares can be reimbursed to staff as business expenses, such as for bus and underground travel. MOD staff may use a taxi for official duty when there is a business benefit to the Department or when it saves money. A taxi is typically used where no other suitable form of public transport is available or where heavy baggage or equipment has to be carried. MOD expenditure on first class train tickets and business class air travel booked through the MOD Travel Contract in each of the past four years has been as follows: CategoryExpenditure2013-142014-152015-162016-17First Class Rail Tickets Note (1)£71,280£52,730£43,501£26,578Business Class Air Travel Note (2)£7,808,039£8,727,962£6,685,066£5,721,761 Notes: (1) Standard Class must be selected, unless there are exceptional circumstances (for example, on disability/medical grounds, if travelling single occupancy on a sleeper or other exceptional circumstances approved by a Director of Resources).  (2) Overseas travel in other than economy class is permitted only where both the flight duration is over 4 hours and there is a business case to demonstrate that the circumstances warrant it (for example, where significant business has to be done on arrival following an overnight flight). These figures include both US and Middle East internal flights that are First Class. However, because they do not have Business Class available - only Economy and First - it is recognised within the airline industry that these equate to Business Class elsewhere in the world based on cost and standard of service/seating so we always report as such.

Trident

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what financial contributions the Government has made to the US administration to date to support the D5 Life Extension programme; and what future such payments the Government plans to make.

Guto Bebb: The total spend by the UK on the D5 Life Extension Programme up to the end of financial year 2016-17 was £157.6 million.As stated in the recent update to Parliament on the Dreadnought Programme, approval was given in 2017 to extend the planned life of the Trident II D5 missile electronic packages at a total project cost of around £350 million.

Armed Forces: Pay

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Living Overseas Allowance for each station.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Local Overseas Allowance is paid to cover the additional local day to day living costs of service personnel when serving overseas. The current rates of Local Overseas Allowance for Main Stations are attached. Rates are updated periodically to reflect changes to currency exchange rates which affect the Forces Fixed Rate. I am withholding information regarding the rates of Local Overseas Allowance for Small Stations as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests and release information provided in confidence.



121834 - MOD Local Overseas Allowance
(PDF Document, 1008.95 KB)

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) the Secretary of State for International Trade on the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle programme.

Gavin Williamson: I have regular discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a range of issues.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Planning Permission: Environment Protection

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how his Department is incorporating the effect that engagement with nature has on well-being in the planning system.

Dominic Raab: The link between access to nature and health has been long established, as both the built and natural environments are major determinants of health and wellbeing.   This is already recognised in the Planning Practice Guidance and as part of the core planning principles in the National Planning Policy Framework.   Local planning authorities should ensure that health and wellbeing are considered in local and neighbourhood plans and in their consideration of applications, including the provision of high quality open spaces and green infrastructure. Further to this, officials have worked closely with colleagues in DEFRA in the formation of the 25 Year Environment Plan, which was published on 11 January 2018.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 116748, how much of the £1.2 billion of funding for the Starter Home Land Fund has been spent to date.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 10 January 2018



A summary of the Fund’s expenditure in 2017/18 will be provided as part of my Department’s Annual Report published in the Spring.

Building Regulations: Disability

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to amend  the relevant building regulations to require all large buildings to have Changing Places toilet facilities for people with profound disabilities.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government commissioned research into the effectiveness of the guidance which supports the Building Regulations’ requirements. This relates to access to, and use of, non domestic buildings. The research has been completed and we are considering it. We will be taking the research into account in considering whether any changes need to be made to the guidance on the provision of toilet facilities for people with disabilities.Building regulations are not retrospective and only apply when building work takes place. We will continue to be supportive of other initiatives to encourage existing business and building owners to voluntarily install Changing Places toilets for people with profound disabilities, where this is appropriate.

Broadband: Planning

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that access to fast broadband is a planning condition for new housing estate and business park developments.

Dominic Raab: The Government is committed to delivering the world’s most dynamic digital economy, supported by measures such as fibre infrastructure investment to ensure consumers and businesses have access to the digital infrastructure that they need.   The Ministry consulted in the Housing White Paper, ‘Fixing our broken housing market’, on amending national planning policy. This focused on requiring local authorities to have in place policies setting out how high quality digital infrastructure will be delivered in their area and how they can be accessible from a range of providers. We will set out how these proposals are to be taken forward shortly.

Housing Infrastructure Fund

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding has been allocated from the Housing Infrastructure Fund to each NUTS 1 region in each year since that fund's creation.

Dominic Raab: The Housing Infrastructure Fund launched on 4 July 2017 will unlock up to 100,000 new homes by supporting the delivery of vital physical infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, energy networks and other utilities. We are currently assessing proposals in partnership with all key stakeholders and will announce successful schemes over the coming months.

Welfare Assistance Schemes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much expenditure will be allocated by his Department for Local Welfare Assistance schemes in each of the next five years.

Rishi Sunak: The Government recognises the important role that councils play in helping to provide local community services such as Local Welfare Assistance schemes, and local authorities in England will have access to more than £200 billion to deliver these services between 2015/16 and 2019/20.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Reorganisation

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the estimated cost of the re-branding of his Department is.

Jake Berry: Building the homes our country needs is an absolute priority for this government. The name change for the department reflects this government’s renewed focus to deliver more homes and build stronger communities across England.Any necessary changes will be done in a cost-efficient way with expenditure being kept to a minimum.This would be a fraction of the cost of splitting up the Ministry as proposed by the opposition.

Female Genital Mutilation

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps have been taken to work with faith leaders to increase the number of signatories to the declaration condemning female genital mutilation and to use that declaration to help drive cultural change against such mutilation since 2016.

Rishi Sunak: Since publication of the Female Genital Mutilation Faith Declaration in 2014, over 250 representatives of faith communities have added their signatures, sending a clear message to communities across the UK that the practice is an extreme form of violence against women and girls and is not supported by any religious doctrine. We call on all faith communities across the UK to condemn the unacceptable practice of Female Genital Mutilation.

Housing: Disability

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of local authorities have adopted the voluntary policy requirement for adaptable and accessible homes.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not collect such information centrally. In 2013/14 a survey was carried out of local authority planning policies on the adoption of the Lifetime Homes standard for new build housing. The survey can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/353395/013_Survey_Write_Up_5th_August_2014.pdf

Housing: Disability

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of new homes built since 2015 which are in accordance with the voluntary policy requirement for adaptable and accessible homes.

Dominic Raab: The Government does not collect data centrally on the number of new homes built in accordance with the Building Regulations’ Optional Requirement for adaptable and accessible homes. However, the English Housing Survey collects information on the accessibility and adaptability of all homes, including new homes. The most recent report can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2014-to-2015-adaptations-and-accessibility-of-homes-report.

Derelict Land

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to collate and assess the information which was published in brownfield registers by local authorities on or before 31 December 2017.

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much brownfield land has been identified by each local authority in part (a) 1 and (b) 2 of their registers; and what the national figures are for such land in each category.

Dominic Raab: Officials are currently assessing the data contained in the published registers.

Scotland Office

Local Growth Deals: Scottish Borders

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the Borderlands growth deal.

David Mundell: I met with Keith Brown at the beginning of December where we discussed how both Governments can work together to deliver transformational and economic change across the Borderlands and hope to meet with him again soon.

Scotland Office: Advertising

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 6 October 2017 to Question 105441 on Scotland Office: Social Media, and the Answer of 20 December 2017 to Question 119818, and the the Answer of 8 January 2018 to Question 121531, what (a) the media strategy for his Department, (b) his Department's advertising procurement strategy and practice is and what estimate he has made of the amount of his Department's advertising spend which is made on the Departmental procurement card.

David Mundell: The Office’s media strategy is to support the core objectives in the Single Departmental Plan: (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/667897/SDP_2015-2020.pdf).The Office’s advertising procurement strategy and practice also supports these objectives.The amount of spending on procurement cards is subject to GPC Governance and Assurance rules and audit procedures. Any advertising spend by the Office using this method is subject to these procedures and reported accurately and exactly each month. GPC spend over £500 is reported monthly on the Scotland Office pages here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=office-of-the-secretary-of-state-for-scotland

Department for Transport

Taxis: Disability

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his policy to bring forward legislative proposals to mandate disability equality training for taxi and minicab drivers.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) services must be accessible to those who rely upon them, and disability awareness and equality training can be effective in equipping drivers with the skills and knowledge to provide all passengers with the assistance they require. The Department is currently considering the responses to the consultation on the draft Accessibility Action Plan which will inform the updated Best Practice Guidance for taxi and PHV licensing authorities. It is the Department’s expectation that the guidance will include a recommendation that authorities should use their existing powers to require prospective drivers to complete disability awareness and equality training. The working group established by the then Minister of State (John Hayes MP) to consider current issues concerning taxi and PHV licensing will report its findings shortly. There are no existing plans to bring legislation to mandate this training.

Housing: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many houses in Stafford constituency have been purchased by the (a) Need to Sell scheme, (b) Statutory Blight scheme, (c) Express Purchase scheme and (d) other schemes since each scheme was launched; and what the average cost is of each such purchase.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The number and average value of houses purchased in the Stafford constituency broken down by HS2 scheme is as follows HS2 SchemeNumber of Homes PurchasedAverage Value of Purchase Exceptional Hardship Scheme (Note 1)15£404,147Need to Sell7£403,428Statutory Blight6£614,167Rural Support Zone Voluntary Purchase2£420,000Note 1 - In May 2016 the Exceptional Hardship Scheme was withdrawn for the Phase 2a section of HS2 when the Need to Sell scheme was confirmed for this part of the route.

Railways: Leigh

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) feasibility, (b) cost and (c) potential merits of a loop railway line to connect Leigh constituency with the Chat Moss railway line.

Joseph Johnson: I refer the Hon Member for Leigh to the answer given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the Hon Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys (Paul Maynard) of 28 November 2017 (UIN 114760).

Department for Transport: Government Procurement Card

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 120433, on Government Procurement Card, for what reason the £1,495.84 was spent by his Department at the Mandarin Oriental Hotels on 10 August 2017; and which official or officials were responsible for that expenditure.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Following a review of this transaction, which relates to security matters, further details and names of officials cannot be publically disclosed. This is line with HM Treasury guidance which allows for certain transactions to be redacted. The Department is committed to the Government’s transparency agenda to make government more open and to strengthen public accountability and with this in mind, the Department reports on transactions that are over £500, a threshold that is lower than the Cabinet Office recommended £25,000 and this includes transactions made through the use of the Electronic Purchasing Card Solutions (EPCS). The Department has clear guidance in place to manage the use of an EPCS card which may only be issued to staff where there is deemed to be a business need.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the introduction of new funding for the major road network.

Jesse Norman: On 23rd December 2017 the Department launched a consultation on ‘Proposals for the creation of a Major Road Network’. This consultation will close on 19th March 2018. A formal consultation response will be published during summer 2018 prior to the launch of the Major Road Network (MRN) programme before the end of the year. The MRN will receive a dedicated portion of the National Roads Fund which will be established in 2020/21. The Department will consider whether there is a need to identify schemes for early entry to the MRN Investment Programme.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Staff

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 140 of the Industrial Strategy, published in November 2017, in which NUTS 1 regions will the 3,000 permanent HS2 jobs be based.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: More than 3000 permanent jobs will be created through the operation and maintenance of HS2. For Phase One of the project they will be located in the NUTS1 regions of West Midlands, London and the South East, since this is where Phase One will operate. The locations for Phase 2 are not available at this stage. The Scheme will also support growth in the wider economy worth an additional 100,000 jobs, with the majority of jobs created being outside London.

Community Transport

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for his Department's consultation on the future of community  transport connections, and the effect of new EU regulations on that transport.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport will be consulting on the issue and use of section 19 and section 22 permits under the Transport Act 1985 shortly.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Databases

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the DVLA’s current cost recovery model for fees levied to access driver records by private parking operators.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency keeps the cost recovery model for the fees levied for data release to private parking companies under regular review.

Travel

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the percentage change in real terms of the average cost to the individual of travelling by (a) private car, (b) bus, (c) train and (d) domestic aeroplane since (i) 1980, (ii) 1997, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2015.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport publishes statistics on travel costs, based on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in the Transport Statistics Great Britain compendium, table 1308. Real terms change in cost of transportMotoring, including the purchase of a vehicleBus and coach faresRail fares(1) Between 1980 and 2016-20%+64%+63%(2) Between 1997 and 2016-16%+33%+23%(3) Between 2010 and 2016-10%+7%+5%(4) Between 2015 and 2016-0.3%+2%-1% (d) The costs of travelling by air are not available from ONS data. However estimates are available based on fare data from the Civil Aviation Authority passenger survey from 2000. The real cost of the average UK one-way air fare, including taxes and charges, covering domestic flights from 2010 to 2016 decreased by an estimated 21%. From 2015 to 2016 the real cost decreased by an estimated 6%.

Ports: Modernisation

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to modernise UK ports.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Ports in the United Kingdom operate on a commercial basis. They have an excellent track record of investment in new and improved facilities and I see no reason why this should change. The Government fully recognises the vital role ports play in our transport infrastructure through facilitating trade and promoting economic growth and accordingly engages regularly with a wide range of ports as well as their representative bodies.

High Speed Two: Public Appointments

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the duration is of the employment contract for the interim independent construction commissioner for HS2.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The duration of the employment contract for the current HS2 interim Independent Construction Commissioner runs from 8 July 2016 to 30 April 2018. However, this term may be extended if the new permanent Independent Construction Commissioner is not in place by this time.

High Speed Two: Public Appointments

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the process is for his Department's hiring a permanent independent construction commissioner for HS2.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department will appoint the permanent HS2 Independent Construction Commissioner on the basis of merit via an open and fair recruitment process, which the Department aims to commence shortly. The selection panel will be drawn from the Construction Commissioner Steering Group.

High Speed Two: Public Appointments

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the names of people that comprise the independent body of project stakeholders who will determine the full terms of reference of the independent HS2 construction commissioner.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The full terms of reference of the HS2 Independent Construction Commissioner will be determined by the Construction Commissioner Steering Group (CCSG). The current membership of the group is: Martin Dickman (Buckinghamshire County Council), Gavin Gaunt (Department for Transport), Sara-Louise Lee (Warwickshire County Council), Mike Lyons (HS2 Ltd), David Reidy (Camden Council) and Alasdair Reisner (Civil Engineering Contractors Association).

High Speed Two: Public Appointments

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what budget his Department plans to provide for a permanent HS2 Independent construction commissioner.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The full budget for the office of the HS2 permanent Independent Construction Commissioner will be determined in discussions with them once they have been appointed.

High Speed Two: Public Appointments

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people the HS2 independent construction commissioner will employ; and if will place the organisational chart for that commissioner's team in the Library.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The number of staff employed by the new HS2 Independent Construction Commissioner will be determined by the permanent commissioner in discussion with the Steering Group once the permanent commissioner has been appointed.

Shipping: Equality

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish the conclusions of the Post Implementation Review of the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011; and for what reasons that publication has been delayed.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Publication of the Post Implementation Review has been delayed whilst the Department seeks further quality evidence from the industry regarding the impact and cost of the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011. Analysis of that additional evidence is currently being undertaken. The report will then be presented to the Reducing Regulation Committee for clearance before publication.

Transforming Cities Fund

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that cities which do not have a metro mayor receive an appropriate allocation from the Transforming Cities Fund.

Jesse Norman: As the chancellor announced at Autumn Budget, half of the Transforming Cities Fund has been allocated to the Mayoral Combined Authorities on a per capita basis to allow mayors to take decisions on their transport priorities. The remainder of the fund will be awarded to other major cities outside London via a competitive process. The details of this process will be announced shortly.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Diego Garcia: Military Bases

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of climate change on the risk that UK and US defence facilities at Diego Garcia will be rendered inoperable by flooding; and whether he has discussed that issue with his counterpart in the US Government.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development commissioned an assessment of climate change and its likely impact on the Overseas Territories, including the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), in 2015. An inception report was completed in October 2015 and is available online. Sea level rise and coastal erosion are considered to be the most significant potential climate change risks to BIOT. Climate change is a global concern. We will continue to closely monitor its effects on our Overseas Territories and take action where necessary. We have not recently discussed the effects of climate change on BIOT with US officials.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Sick Leave

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost was to his Department as a result of officials taking sick leave in the last year.

Sir Alan Duncan: The cost to the FCO as a result of sickness absence by UK-based staff in 2017 was £1,445,822. This represents less than 1% of the total paybill for UK-based staff. ​

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on the situation in North Korea; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: ​The Foreign Secretary met Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on 22 December in Moscow. They discussed how best to work together, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, in tackling global security issues such as North Korea. On the same day, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted UNSCR 2379 on the DPRK, showing once again that the international community remains united in its condemnation of DPRK's reckless and destabilising actions. Ensuring full implementation of UNSCR 2379, and other UN resolutions, is now the priority.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the UN Security Council’s sanctions on North Korea in encouraging that country to cease its nuclear activities; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: ​The unanimous adoption of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions on North Korea demonstrates that the international community will not accept its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. The sanctions now in place significantly reduce the export revenues the regime uses to fund its illegal programmes.There is evidence that the impact of these measures are increasingly being felt by the Kim regime.

North Korea: UN Resolutions

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the UK's Permanent Ambassador to the UN on the latest UN Security Council resolution on North Korea.

Mark Field: ​The UK welcomes the unanimous adoption of the latest UN Security Council resolution on North Korea. The international community has once again shown it is united in its condemnation of North Korea's reckless and destabilising actions. This resolution further reduces the revenues North Korea uses to fund its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.The Foreign Secretary and I followed the process of agreeing this tough new resolution closely. Our officials in Whitehall and the UK Mission to the United Nations also worked closely together to deliver this resolution. We will continue to work with our allies and international partners to increase diplomatic pressure on the DPRK to choose a better path.

Libya: Slavery

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help tackle reported slave auctions in detention camps in Libya.

Alistair Burt: The UK is determined to eliminate the scourge of forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking. The Government works closely with the Libyan Government and takes all allegations of abuse seriously. During his visit to Libya in August the Foreign Secretary raised with Prime Minister Serraj the importance of offering humanitarian support to migrants and the need to respect human rights. I also raised our concerns about the human rights situation in Libya, including the issue of slavery, with the Libyan Deputy Prime Minister on 1 December and welcomed the investigation into this issue. The matter was raised in Parliament in a debate on 18 December in Westminster Hall, which I answered, setting out the UK position. Our Ambassador has further underlined our concerns about these reports in our recent discussions with the Libyan Government, and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Burma: Violence

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to make an assessment within the framework of international humanitarian law of the nature of the violence which is taking place in Burma.

Mark Field: ​International humanitarian law applies in situations of armed conflict. No determination has been made that the situation in Rakhine State meets this definition. We are pressing for full accountability under international criminal law for all those responsible for the atrocities. As the Foreign Secretary said on 21 November, it is vital that any evidence or testimony gathered is collated in the proper way, so relevant judicial authorities can determine whether or not the actions amount to atrocity crimes under international law.The UK has raised concerns, most recently at the Human Rights Council in Geneva in September 2017, about the ongoing conflicts elsewhere in Burma, notably in Shan and Kachin states, and continues to call on the military to end hostilities and ensure aid reaches those in need in these states.

Burma: Sanctions

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking on as penholder on Burma in the UN Security Council to pursue sanctions on senior military figures and businesses in Burma.

Mark Field: Both the EU and US have arms embargoes in place on Burma. The UK has suspended Burmese military visits and defence education cooperation.We are discussing with partners further options for UN Security Council action on Rakhine, following the UN Secretary-General's 12 December report to the Council. We are also assessing, with EU partners, whether targeted EU sanctions against individual senior military officers would be effective in changing the behaviour of the Burmese military. We assess there is at present insufficient support amongst UN Security Council permnanent members for a global arms embargo or UN sanctions, but this is under constant review.

Burma: Rohingya

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the agreement between the Governments of Bangladesh and Burma on the ability of Rohingya refugees to return safely to Burma.

Mark Field: The agreement between the governments of Burma and Bangladesh is a positive step. But the Burmese authorities need to take urgent measures to improve conditions in northern Rakhine state before starting any returns process, as well as allowing appropriate international oversight. At present, conditions are not suitable for Rohingya refugees to return to their homes safely, voluntarily and in dignity, in line with UN principles.The UN Security Council Presidential Statement of 6 November, agreed at UK instigation, called for the voluntary return of refugees in conditions of safety and dignity. I underlined this point when I met the Burmese Defence Minister and the Minister for the Office of State Counsellor, as well as the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, in late November in Naypyidaw. We welcomed the commitment of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, in a speech on 19 September and reiterated on 12 October, on the right of return for those who have fled, but urgently seek progress on this pledge.

Burma: Rohingya

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Bangladesh on ensuring that no Rohingya refugees are forcibly returned to Burma.

Mark Field: I have repeatedly called on the Government of Bangladesh to make sure that any returns of Rohingya refugees to their homes in Burma are voluntary, safe and dignified. I raised this with the High Commissioner Nazmul Quaunine on 9 January 2018, with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam on 30 November 2017, and Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque on 2 November 2017. Officials in Dhaka regularly raise this with the Government of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has committed in its agreement with Burma to voluntary returns in safety, security, and dignity.The UK was instrumental in achieving a United Nations Security Council Presidential Statement on 6 November 2017 that agreed the return of Rohingya refugees to their homes in Burma should be voluntary, safe and dignified, and called on the Governments of Bangladesh and Burma to make sure these conditions were met.

Sudan: Migration

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with civil society organisations in Sudan on ways to tackle irregular migration from and through the country; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government maintains regular contact with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations working on Sudan, both in London and in Khartoum. This includes civil society organisations and activists focused on migration. The most recent formal meetings between British officials and representatives from civil society organisations took place at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London on 4 December, and at the British Embassy in Khartoum on 17 December.

Eritrea: Religious Freedom

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of religious freedom in Eritrea.

Harriett Baldwin: Within Eritrea, only four traditional religious organisations (Orthodox Christian, Sunni Muslim, Catholic, and the Lutheran Evangelical Church of Eritrea) have official approval to operate. Whilst this allows for the majority of Eritreans to worship freely, we are aware of reports that individuals from non-sanctioned religions are subject to detention, although reliable information is very difficult to obtain. Details of such detentions are not publicly released by the Eritrean government. We are also aware that a number of religious schools have been closed in recent months. Our Ambassador and EU counterparts have called for the release of all prisoners detained for religious beliefs or, as a minimum, that they are brought before a court for public hearing and fair trial, allowing them to defend themselves against any charge.

Egypt: Religious Freedom

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to promote and protect the right to freedom of religion or belief in Egypt.

Alistair Burt: We regularly raise our concerns about the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly with the Egyptian authorities; these rights are essential to improving the protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Egypt. The Egyptian constitution contains protections for Freedom of Religious Belief and it is important that these rights are respected. In particular, we welcome President Sisi's consistent calls for peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Egypt. The UK has also been working with al-Azhar University in Egypt for over ten years to help develop a new generation of religious leaders who can build dialogue across different cultures and religions, and confront extremism. The work includes English teaching, debating skills training and a postgraduate scholarship scheme.

Embassies: EU Countries

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK embassises and consulates were open in those EU Member States which were full member states in 2010 in each year since 2010.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK has Embassies in all EU Member States and currently has 19 Consulates, Consulates-General and Vice-Consulates across EU Member States – 1 in Croatia, 2 in France, 2 in Germany, 4 in Greece, 1 in Italy, 1 in the Netherlands, 1 in Portugal and 7 in Spain. This figure does not include our Honorary Consulates in Europe.

Department for International Development

Ports: Training

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to train overseas port health officers to UK standards.

Alistair Burt: The International Health Regulations (IHRs) (2005), agreed by all WHO member states, include the standards required for port health authorities internationally. WHO has oversight of IHR assessment and capacity building. The UK Government, through the WHO, assists countries to carry out assessments and implement the IHRs. As part of this, the UK deploys (a) subject matter experts to support WHO monitoring of IHR capacity in 20 low and middle-income countries, including in points of entry such as ports, and (b) implements programmes to strengthen IHR capabilities in five countries in Africa and Asia, plus the UK Overseas Territories.

Small Charities Challenge Fund

Sammy  Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department has allocated out of the Small Charities Challenge fund since its creation.

Sammy  Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many charities have received grants from the Small Charities Challenge Fund since its creation.

Sammy  Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which charities have received funding from the Small Charities Challenge Fund since its creation; and what the purpose was of each project that received such funding.

Alistair Burt: In July 2017, DFID launched the Small Charities Challenge Fund to support the work of small, UK-based charities in international development. The Fund has received over one hundred applications for assessment, from organisations across the UK. Proposals cover projects in 26 countries and 85% of organisations have not previously received DFID funding, demonstrating the Fund’s success in reaching new organisations. Award decisions for this first set of grants are currently being made and outcomes will be communicated shortly. The next cut-off for application assessment is 30 March 2018.

South Sudan: Violence

Sammy  Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce gender-based violence in South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: South Sudan experiences horrific gender-based violence. Last year, a DFID-funded programme reached nearly 300,000 people with interventions, including responses for survivors of gender-based violence and longer-term prevention. We have also conducted ground breaking research to improve our understanding of and response to gender-based violence in South Sudan.

South Sudan: Conflict Resolution

Sammy  Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department has provided for church-led reconciliation efforts in South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is supporting local peace-building initiatives in South Sudan, including by providing funding to the South Sudanese Council of Churches (SSCC). The SSCC, which comprises the seven main churches, have developed an Action Plan for Peace. This includes reconciliation and mediation efforts, and support for inclusive dialogue within and across communities. This UK funding – via the Conflict Stability and Security Fund - is also enabling the SSCC to lead mediation and reconciliation efforts between national level leaders who have the power to stop the violence. A number of UK Ministers have met with SSCC representatives to hear directly about the role the churches are playing to end the conflict.

Department for Education

Pupils: Clothing

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received on the recommendation to school inspectors made by the Chief Inspector of Schools in November 2017 on girls wearing hijabs in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders and has heard views on this announcement through these engagements. The Department also receives representations from a diverse range of people, some of whom have expressed views about Ofsted’s announcement. Where questions have been asked that relate to Ofsted policy, we have directed the representations to Ofsted for comment.Ofsted is in the process of finalising guidance for inspectors, including in relation to schools’ uniform policies. In developing this guidance Ofsted has held meetings with a range of stakeholders, including representatives from faith groups and other interested parties. Ofsted aims to publish this guidance by the end of January 2018, taking account of the views expressed during these discussions.

Universities Superannuation Scheme

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the University and College Union on proposed changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon on 22 December 2017 [119989].

Schools: Expenditure

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of Government investment in education on pupil outcomes since 2010.

Nick Gibb: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education routinely discusses matters of shared interest with Cabinet colleagues, including my Rt hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Pupil outcomes are, of course, at the heart of the Department’s decision-making.

Educational Institutions: Technology

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the timetable is for the establishment of the new Institutes of Technology.

Anne Milton: The competition to establish new Institutes of Technology (IoT) opened on 15 December 2017 and the deadline for proposals is 1 March 2018. Following assessment of the proposals we expect to announce those that are successful by the end of this year. We expect the first IoTs to be established from September 2019. The detailed competition timetable is below. Further information for applicants is available on the GOV.UK website. Competition Timetable DateActivity15 December 2017Call for proposals opens16 January 2018IoT Conference for applicants1 March 2018Deadline for submission of proposalsEarly May 2018Notification of outcome of Stage OneJune 2018Stage Two competition launchedSummer 2018Stage Two business plans submittedBy end 2018Announcement of successful proposalsSeptember 2019First IoTs established31 March 2021Capital fund spend deadline

English Language: Education

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 113 of the Industrial Strategy, published in November 2017, in which locations her Department plans to establish the network of English hubs.

Nick Gibb: Being fluent in reading is vital for young children’s future success. The results of the 2016 Progress in International Reading Study, announced in December 2017 showed that our nine year olds in England had achieved the highest ever scores. This puts the Department’s continued success in phonics and raising education standards on a global scale. This year, thanks to Government reforms and the hard work of teachers across the country, 154,000 more six year olds are on track to be fluent in reading in 2012. The Department wants to build on these successes and support improvements in areas where standards are lower than average. The Department has announced that we will set up a new Centre of Excellence for Literacy Teaching and a national network of 35 English Hubs across the country. The exact locations of hubs will be decided in due course.

Mathematics: Education

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 112 of the Industrial Strategy, published in November 2017, how many Maths hubs have been set up in each NUTS 1 region and in which under-achieving areas she plans to establish the new Maths hubs.

Nick Gibb: There is currently a network of 35 mathematics hubs. These are located in the following NUTS 1 regions:NUTS 1 regionNumber of mathematics hubsEast Midlands3East of England4London6North East2North West4South East5South West4West Midlands3Yorkshire and the Humber4 As outlined in the Industrial Strategy, we will announce new mathematics hubs in under-achieving areas later this year.

Teachers: Pilot Schemes

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 5.8 of Autumn Budget 2017, in which area will the Teacher Development Premium will be piloted.

Nick Gibb: The Department is developing delivery options for the Teacher Development Premium and will announce full details in due course.

Mathematics: Education

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools in each NUTS 1 region have taken up the Teaching for Mastery Maths programmes; and what estimate she has made of the number of schools in each NUTS 1 region that will have taken up the programme by 2020.

Nick Gibb: The Teaching for Mastery programme has been rolled out to 2,671 schools across England. These are located in the following NUTS 1 regions:NUTS 1 regionNumber of Teaching for Mastery schoolsProportion of Teaching for Mastery schools (%)East Midlands27210East of England25710London41616North East1425North West32912South East41816South West27010West Midlands2489Yorkshire and the Humber31912 The Department is committed to the programme reaching half of all primary schools by 2020. Estimates of take-up by region by 2020 are not available. As outlined in the Industrial Strategy, we will be announcing additional maths hub capacity in under-achieving areas later this year. This will ensure that there is sufficient capacity in the system to support all schools that wish to adopt the Teaching for Mastery approach, particularly those located in areas where need is greatest.

Schools: Asylum

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools to support refugee and asylum seeker children.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department does not currently provide schools with specific guidance on how to support refugee and asylum seeker children. Our policy position is that schools will take responsibility for ensuring that all of their pupils, regardless of their background, are engaged, challenged and attain to the best of their abilities. As such, it is for head teachers to determine how to deploy the school’s resources to best effect in meeting the particular needs of their pupils – including those who have refugee or asylum seeker status. Schools have flexibility over how they use their funding to support such pupils – including, where relevant, funding that is allocated for pupils for whom English is an additional language, and for those from financially deprived backgrounds.If unaccompanied, asylum seeking children become looked-after by a local authority. The government is committed to ensuring that looked-after children, including those seeking asylum, are supported to succeed in education. Statutory guidance on ‘Promoting the Education of Looked-After Children’ and ‘The Roles and Responsibilities of Designated Teachers’ is available to support local authorities and schools in doing this. Revised versions of both documents, updated to include information on unaccompanied asylum seeking children, are due to be published on GOV.UK shortly.

Education: Assessments

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the security of examination answers as a result of Ofqual's recent decision to void a number of examinations due to the answers being leaked online.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write directly to the hon. Member. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Teachers: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of primary school teachers who have been signed off with long-term sick leave due to stress in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry in each of the last five years.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of secondary school teachers who have been signed off with long-term sick leave due to stress in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The information is not held centrally.

Teachers: Sick Leave

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of teachers who have been signed off with long-term sick leave in England in the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The requested data is not held in the format requested. Although the Department holds data on the sickness absence of teachers, no assessment has been made of the trends in long term sickness absence. Published data on teacher sickness absence is available in table 16 of the School Workforce in England Statistical First Release which is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2016.

Children: Day Care

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average weekly cost was of a childcare place in the West Midlands in each year since 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department collects data on the weekly cost of childcare through our regular parent surveys. These can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-childcare-and-early-years.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average number of funded hours used by families was per week by people with 30 hours places during the September term in 2017.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department undergoes an annual Early Years Census in order to allocate funding for the free entitlements to local authorities, and to gather data on the uses of these entitlements. This data will be captured in January with the data being made available in the summer. We therefore do not currently hold data on the average number of funded hours used by people accessing a 30 hours place during the autumn term. However, we do know that an average of 25.2 funded hours per week were taken up in Early Implementer areas, and 26.5 hours per week within the Early Rollout areas, by people accessing a 30 hours place during early delivery. More information on how the 30 hours was delivered in our early delivery areas is available via the links below. Early Implementer evaluation report: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629460/Evaluation_of_early_implementation_of_30_hours_free_childcare_.pdfEarly Rollout Evaluation report: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/642007/Evaluation_of_early_rollout_of_30-hours_free_childcare.pdf

Primary Education: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of nursery provision attached to primary schools is run (a) by private, voluntary and independent nurseries and (b) directly by the school with the children on that school's role.

Nadhim Zahawi: This information is not held centrally.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education,  what was the average cost was of a funded hour under the 30 hours free childcare policy during the 2017 September term.

Nadhim Zahawi: In the financial year 2017-18, the average cost to government of a funded hour of free childcare for three- and four-year-olds, which includes the 30 hours free entitlement, is £4.94 pence.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water: Meters

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the proportion of households in (a) each local authority (b) each region and (c) England that have been fitted with water meters.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Water companies provide data to the Environment Agency on households that have a meter fitted, as part of the annual review of their water resources management plans. The following table sets out the proportions by water company, as of March 2017. Water CompanyPercentage of household meteringAffinity Water47Anglian Water77Bristol Water47Cambridge Water70Essex & Suffolk Water58Northumbrian Water32Portsmouth Water28Bournemouth Water69SES Water*50Severn Trent41South East Water76South Staffordshire Water35South West Water79Southern Water84Thames Water39United Utilities38Wessex Water60Yorkshire Water49England50 * previously Sutton & East Surrey Water

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Equal Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the transparency document entitled DEFRA's Gender Pay Gap Report 2017, if he will set out the pay gap data for median, mean and bonus pay by (a) grade and (b) profession.

George Eustice: The data provided in Defra’s response is based on the data used for Defra’s Gender Pay Gap Report 2017.a) Defra’s (including its Executive Agencies) mean & median gender pay gap data by grade are shown in the table below. Negative figures represent a gender pay gap in favour of women.GradeMean Gender Pay GapMedian Gender Pay Gap AA-3.3%-0.5% AO0.8%0.0% EO1.5%0.0% HEO1.3%0.8% SEO2.0%2.4% G72.5%0.9% G60.1%0.1% SCS-0.5%-3.1% Overall Gap11.5%12.1% Defra’s (including its Executive Agencies) bonus pay by grade.GradeMean Bonus Pay Gap  Median Bonus Pay GapAA28.6%32.0%AO5.3%-12.1%EO6.7%10.0%HEO10.8%26.0%SEO9.8%3.8%G721.3%33.2%G67.1%42.6%SCS15.1%36.8%Overall Gap20.6%16.7%In Defra and its agencies, 45% of women received bonuses compared to 47% of men. Using the Gender Pay Gap reporting calculations, the figures for bonuses use actual amounts paid and do not take into account pro rata for part time working. As there are currently more women than men working part time (32% and 7% respectively), this results in a large gap in the total amounts being paid. b) We do not hold data by profession for Defra and its agencies, due to the functionality of our people management systems, so are unable to provide this.

Marine Management Organisation: Equal Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the transparency document entitled Marine Management Organisation Gender Pay Gap Report 2017, if he will set out the pay gap data for median, mean and bonus pay by (a) grade and (b) profession.

George Eustice: The information requested is not collated centrally. We are compiling the information and will send it to the Hon member and place a copy in the libraries of the House in due course.

Biodiversity

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on establishing the biodiversity net gain approach in environmental law after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will ensure that the whole body of existing EU environmental law continues to have effect in UK law to provide businesses, communities and stakeholders with maximum certainty as we leave the EU. We will then have the opportunity, over time, to ensure our legislative framework is outcome driven and delivers on our overall commitment of improving the environment within a generation. The UK has a long history of environmental protection and we will safeguard and improve on this record. Producing a 25 Year Environment Plan is key to setting out how we will improve our environment as we leave the EU and take control of our environmental legislation again.

Abandoned Vehicles

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the time frame is for local authorities to (a) respond and (b) take action in regard to a report of an untaxed or abandoned vehicle on a public road.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Where it appears to a local authority that a vehicle in its area is abandoned, it has a duty to remove the vehicle, unless (in the case of vehicles not on a carriageway) the cost of moving the vehicle to the nearest carriageway would be unreasonably high. There is no statutory definition of ‘abandoned’, and it is for councils to determine whether any particular vehicle has been abandoned.There is no statutory time frame for responding to reports of abandoned vehicles. Where a vehicle is abandoned on land that is ‘occupied’, the local authority must give the occupier 15 days’ notice that it proposes to remove the vehicle. The local authority is not entitled to remove the vehicle if the occupier objects to the proposal within that period. If the occupier gives the local authority permission to remove the vehicle during this 15-day period, the vehicle may be removed immediately, but there is no statutory time-frame for doing so.It is up to councils to decide how best to meet their statutory duties in respect of abandoned vehicles, and how to prioritise this against other local services.

Flood Control: Public Expenditure

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural affairs, with reference to page 135 of the Industrial Strategy, published in November 2017, how much funding has been allocated from the public purse to (a) flood defence schemes and (b) household flood protection in each NUTS 1 region.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is investing £2.6 billion (including the additional £76m announced in the last Budgert) between 2015 and 2021, delivering at least 1,500 new flood defence schemes and better protecting 300,000 homes. The six year Capital Investment Programme will provide Flood Defence Grant-in-Aid as shown below for flood and coastal risk management schemes by NUTS 1 regions. Where appropriate, property level flood protection measures are integrated within flood risk management schemes. The Government does not hold information centrally about the breakdown of spending for individual elements, such as property level protection measures, of these schemes. The nationally coordinated project investment includes flood defences which are located in more than one NUTS 1 region, and capitalised costs which support the development of these physical and natural defences. NUTS1 regionNUTS1 codeTotal government planned capital expenditure (£m) between April 2015 and March 2021 (Excluding £76m FROM LAST BUDGET)East MidlandsUKF198East of EnglandUKH217Greater LondonUKI134North East UKC46North West UKD210South East UKJ510South West UKK176West Midlands UKG75Yorkshire and The HumberUKE487NATONALLY COORDINATED PROJECT INVESTMENT 452

Tea: Polymers

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to encourage food manufacturers to produce tea bags without the use of polymers.

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the quantity of plastic polymers used in the production of tea bags.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: There are no specific plans for tea bags. In December the Secretary of State chaired an industry roundtable on plastics and outlined a four point plan for tackling plastic waste that takes action at each stage of the product lifecycle – production, consumption and end of life: cutting the total amount of plastic in circulation; reducing the number of different plastics in use; improving the rate of recycling; supporting comprehensive recycling collections to make it easier for individuals to recycle. We set out further steps in our 25 Year Environment Plan, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/673203/25-year-environment-plan.pdf We will also be conducting a call for evidence this year, seeking views on how taxing and charging the most environmentally damaging single use plastics could help reduce waste.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Expenditure

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which fruitless payments in excess of £30,000 her Department has made by (a) recipient of each such payment, (b) purpose of each such payment, (c) value of each such payment and (d) reason that payment was classified as fruitless in the 2017-18 financial year to date.

George Eustice: The department did not make any fruitless payments in excess of £30,000 between 1 April 2017 and 9 January 2018.

Forests: North of England

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much Government funding will be provided for tree planting to expand the White Rose Forest as part of the new Northern Forest.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Over the next 25 years the Woodland Trust and Community Forest Trust are aiming to plant more than 50 million trees from Liverpool to Hull. This Northern Forest will connect the five Community Forests in the north of England with green infrastructure and woodland created in and around major urban centres. Planting will target areas where trees provide benefits for local communities and government is providing £5.7 million to kick-start the project. The Woodland Trust and Community Forests will work with stakeholders and local communities, including the White Rose Forest, to identify the specific sites where government funded planting will take place. The Northern Forest will be a productive forest, with a mix of broadleaves, such as oaks, and coniferous species such as spruces, pines and firs. Details of exactly what planting will occur and where will be determined with the Woodland Trust, Community Forests and local stakeholders.

Forests: North of England

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the new Northern Forest will be managed woodland for private profit.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the New Northern Forest will be deciduous woodland.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Over the next 25 years the Woodland Trust and Community Forest Trust are aiming to plant more than 50 million trees from Liverpool to Hull. This Northern Forest will connect the five Community Forests in the north of England with green infrastructure and woodland created in and around major urban centres. Planting will target areas where trees provide benefits for local communities and government is providing £5.7 million to kick-start the project. The Woodland Trust and Community Forests will work with stakeholders and local communities, including the White Rose Forest, to identify the specific sites where government funded planting will take place. The Northern Forest will be a productive forest, with a mix of broadleaves, such as oaks, and coniferous species such as spruces, pines and firs. Details of exactly what planting will occur and where will be determined with the Woodland Trust, Community Forests and local stakeholders.

Golden Eagles

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to re-introduce Golden Eagles into the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Golden eagle re-introductions are a devolved issue. In England there are currently no plans to re-introduce golden eagles.

Beverage Containers: Fees and Charges

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect on levels of employment of introducing a 25p levy on disposable coffee cups; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We are aware of calls for levies to be added to single use coffee cups, following the Environmental Audit Committee’s recent report. We are carefully considering the Committee’s recommendations and will respond shortly. We have not made an assessment of the potential effect of this proposed levy on levels of employment.

Beverage Containers: Fees and Charges

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will begin a public consultation on a levy to be raised on plastic cups.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We will shortly be launching a call for evidence seeking views on how the tax system or charges could reduce the amount of waste produced by the most environmentally damaging single use plastics. HM Treasury and Defra are working closely together to develop this.

Clean Air Zones: Market Towns

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of clean air zones in market towns; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK plan for tackling nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations, published in July 2017, is supported by a technical report. The technical report presents the evidence used to develop and assess the plan in addressing levels of NO2 across local authorities in the UK, including assessing the role of clean air zones. The plan and technical report are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-quality-plan-for-nitrogen-dioxide-no2-in-uk-2017

Flood Control: North Cornwall

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what level of investment from the public purse is planned for flood prevention in North Cornwall in (a) 2017-18 and (b) the subsequent four years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government plans to invest approximately £476,000 for the period 2017-18, and £1.2 million for the period 2018-19 to 2020-21 on flood and coastal risk management schemes in the North Cornwall constituency. Budgets for 2021-22 and beyond have not been set.

Plastics: Recycling

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of recycling plastic waste to produce hydrogen.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra has not made any assessment of the potential merits of producing or recovering hydrogen from plastic waste.

Environment Protection

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will assess the adequacy of UK biosecurity legislation.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK’s wide ranging body of biosecurity legislation is based on EU requirements for plant and animal health. Leaving the EU provides an opportunity to review that legislation and consider introducing measures more suited to the UK’s biosecurity concerns.

Hunting: Diseases

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to investigate the potential spread of disease caused by packs of hunting hounds.

George Eustice: All hunts which feed fallen stock to hounds are registered and regularly inspected by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), to ensure they are operating in accordance with animal by–products regulations and handling carcases in a biosecure way, with only meat which is safe being fed to dogs. Following recent investigations into the risks of feeding fallen stock to dogs, controls have been strengthened to stop the feeding of offal to dogs, which may present a greater risk of disease such as bovine TB. Hunt kennel staff are undergoing training in co-operation with APHA on how to safely remove and dispose of offal when preparing material for feeding to hounds. In addition, new rules are in place requiring that hounds fed on fallen stock are regularly treated for Echinococcus sp (tapeworm) in accordance with the recommendations of a veterinary professional, and that records are kept of such treatment for a period of at least two years and made available for inspection by APHA. These measures should reduce the risk of disease spread from feeding of fallen stock to hounds, and we have no plans for further investigations. Specifically in relation to the potential spread of TB, dogs pose a very low risk of transmitting TB to cattle herds and, overall, they play an insignificant role in the persistence of the disease in England. Nevertheless, APHA has offered advice to hunt kennels on options for managing this very low risk. As part of its normal investigation into all culture-confirmed cases of TB in domestic animals other than cattle, APHA seeks to identify the various ways that those animals could have become infected. No further investigations are planned.

Livestock: Waste Disposal

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of current bio-security measures for the disposal of dead stock on farms.

George Eustice: The collection and disposal of fallen stock from farms is subject to strict rules under animal by–products regulations to ensure it is carried out in a biosecure way. All fallen stock collection and disposal operators are subject to approval or registration under those regulations and regular inspection by the Animal and Plant Health Agency to ensure compliance with those rules. An effective system is therefore in place to ensure that fallen stock are collected and disposed of safely.

Fisheries

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 December 2017, HCWS386, if he will publish a list of the 44 stocks of interest to the UK for which Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)assessments have been made; and which 30 of those 44 stocks of interest to the UK will be fished at or below MSY in 2018.

George Eustice: Further to my written statement of 21 December 2017, the final agreement means that 31 stocks of interest to the UK will be fished at or below their maximum sustainable yield (MSY) rate in 2018. This is out of 45 such stocks of interest for which MSY assessments have been completed by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). A list of stocks is set out below.  Stocks of interest to the UK that have a MSY assessment and will be fished at their MSY rate in 2018. Blue ling: Union and international waters of Vb, VI, VIIBlue whiting: Norwegian waters of II and IVCod VII b,c,e-k, VIII, IX, X, Cecaf 34.1.1(EC)Cod VIIaCod: IV; Union waters of IIa; that part of IIIa not covered by the Skagerrak and KattegatCod: VIIdCommon sole VIIdCommon sole VIIeCommon sole: Union waters of IIa and IVHaddock EC waters of Vb and VIaHaddock VIIaHaddock: IV; Union waters of IIaHaddock: Union and international waters of VIb, XII and XIVHake EC waters of IIa and IVHake VI and VII; EC waters of Vb, international waters of XII and XIVHerring VIIaHerring VIIg,h,j,kHerring: By-catches in IV, VIId and in Union waters of IIaHerring: IVc and VIIdHerring: Union and Norwegian waters north of IV north of 53o30'NHorse mackerel and associated by-catches: Union waters of IIa, IVa, VI, VIIa-c, VIIe-k, VIIIabde; Union and international waters of Vb; international waters of XII and XIVMegrim EC waters of IIa and IVNorway lobster (Nephrops) VI; EC waters of VbNorway lobster (Nephrops) VIIPicked dogfish EC and international waters of I, V, VI, VII, VIII, XII and XIVPlaice VIIaPlaice VIId,eSaithe: IIIa and IV; Union waters of IIa, IIIb, IIIc and Subdivisions 22-32Saithe: VI; Union and international waters of Vb, XII and XIVRoundnose grenadier Vb, VI and VIINorth Sea sprat  Stocks of interest to the UK that have a MSY assessment and will not be fished at their MSY rate in 2018. Blue whiting: Union and international waters of I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIIIa, VIIIb, VIIId, VIIIe, XII and XIVCod VIa; EC waters of VbCommon sole VIIaCommon sole VIIfgHaddock VII b-k, VIII, IX, X, EC waters of Cecaf 34.1.1Herring: Union and international waters of Vb, VIb and VIaNMackerel: NE AtlanticMegrim VIINorway lobster (Nephrops) EC waters of IIa, IVPlaice: IV; Union waters of IIa; that part of IIIa not covered by the Skagerrak and the KattegatWhiting VI; EC waters of Vb; international waters of XII and XIVWhiting VIIaWhiting VIIbcdefhkWhiting: IV; Union waters of IIa

Sea Bass: Regulation

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the (a) Marine Maritime Organisation and (b) Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Association to enforce compliance of fishing regulations in relation to sea bass fishing by commercial netters.

George Eustice: There are eleven ongoing formal MMO investigations into bass related infringements. Some IFCAs are also currently undertaking work to introduce netting restriction byelaws in their Districts, intended to protect a wide variety of marine resources including juvenile fish, which will include bass.

Total Allowable Catches: Celtic Sea

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 December 2017, HCWS386, what scientific evidence informed the decision to set total allowable catches for anglerfish and pollack in the Celtic Sea.

George Eustice: Both anglerfish and pollack in the Celtic Sea are Data Limited Stocks. However, scientific advice published by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) was used to inform the decision to rollover the total allowable catch (TAC) for Area 7 anglerfish and Area 7 pollack in 2018. In the case of Area 7 anglerfish, advice was issued in 2016 for quotas in 2017 and 2018 and therefore the TAC for 2018 remained the same as in 2017. For Area 7 pollack, ICES issued advice in 2017 for quotas in 2018, 2019 and 2020, however the advised tonnage is unchanged from the previous advice and therefore the TAC for 2018 remained the same as for 2017.

Nature Conservation: Marine Environment

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking improve marine conservation in the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: On 11 January, the Government published the 25 Year Environment Plan that outlines the steps we will take to achieve our ambition of leaving the environment in a better state than we found it. The Plan explains how we will improve marine conservation, providing a basis for planning our future policies and regulatory framework. We will bring forward our Fisheries Bill in due course. We will continue to work with Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland to ensure that our plans for improving marine conservation are coordinated.

Pesticides: Regulation

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures his Department has put in place to replicate the functions of the European bodies responsible for regulating pesticides in preparation for the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: We will convert existing EU law into UK law when we leave through the EU Withdrawal Bill. We will put in place measures to implement this legislation nationally, including arrangements to replicate the functions carried out by any European bodies where these are still needed in a national regime. We will continue to have an evidence based approach to pesticides regulation when we leave the EU, with the aim of achieving a high level of protection for people and the environment.

Pesticides: Regulation

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what additional funding has been put in place to create a new pesticide regulatory system after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Like all departments, Defra is planning for a number of scenarios following our departure from the EU to make sure we are ready on Day 1. Over £250 million of additional funding has already been approved across a number of departments in 2017/18 to prepare for when we have left the EU. Defra has received additional funding this year and has reprioritised to meet new pressures arising from preparations for withdrawal from the EU. The additional funding received from the Reserve for 2017/8 will be set out at Supplementary Estimates. As our design and implementation of the UK pesticide regulation regime continues, we will continue to work alongside HM Treasury to keep our resource needs under review. It has committed to working with departments through 2017/18 and into 2018/19 to take forward necessary plans.

Pesticides: Monitoring

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to implement the recommendation of his Department's Chief Scientific Advisor to create a system to monitor how pesticides affect the environment at a landscape scale.

George Eustice: We set out our plans for pesticides in the 25 Year Environment Plan: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/673203/25-year-environment-plan.pdf

Environment

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will seek substantive contributions from the Welsh and Scottish Governments on drafting new environmental legislation after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We are working closely with the devolved administrations on EU withdrawal matters and this includes discussions on the environment.

Rescue Services: West Mercia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to provide (a) financial and (b) other support to West Mercia Search & Rescue.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In 2017/18, a total of £750,000 grant funding has been made available to help maintain the assets on the National Flood Rescue Assets Register that are available for use nationally in the event of a flood. Teams such as West Mercia Search and Rescue may claim up to £5,725 each. The Home Office supports Fire and Rescue Services with the national High Volume Pump (HVP) capability comprising 46 HVPs across the country.

Recycling: EU Law

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the rate of household waste recycling rate to meet the EU Waste Framework Directive target of 50 per cent by 2020.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is committed to meeting the 2020 EU recycling target of 50% of household waste. Local authorities deliver local recycling services, and householders have played a key role in increasing the England’s recycling rate to 44.9% in 2016/17. The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our commitment to make it easier for people to recycle to increase the quantity and quality of materials collected. Through the Framework for Greater Consistency, WRAP is working with industry and local authorities to ensure that a consistent set of core materials are collected by all local authorities. We want to accelerate this process and want householders to benefit from having comprehensive and frequent waste and recycling collections which protect local amenity and ensure that products are recycled as much as possible, returning high quality materials back to the economy.

Waste Disposal

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 January 2018 to Question 119340, what discussions officials of his Department have had with representatives of local authorities on China's recent decision to impose restrictions on imports of waste; what assessment his Department has made of potential alternative solutions to deal with such waste; and what his Department's policy is on supporting local authorities to (a) maintain and (b) increase levels of recycling.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Secretary of State set out the Government’s position in a Written Ministerial Statement on 08 January: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-01-08/HCWS391 Defra, WRAP and the EA met with the waste industry, local authorities and reprocessors to ensure that they are aware of their obligations in handling waste materials affected by the restrictions and in ensuring waste that cannot be exported for recycling abroad is stored safely and dealt with in the right way to minimise any risks to human health and the environment. England’s recycling rate has increased to 44.9% in 2016. Many English authorities have also made improvements, for example, Stroud District Council, has increased its recycling rate by 14% (since 2015). Local authorities are best placed to deliver local recycling services, and with householders have played a key role in increasing the England’s recycling rate to 44.9% in 2016/17. The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our commitment to make it easier for people to recycle and increase the quantity and quality of materials collected. Through the Framework for Greater Consistency, WRAP is working with industry and local authorities to ensure that a consistent set of core materials are collected by all local authorities. WRAP provides valuable tools and resources to support local councils to improve their services. Guidance includes food waste collections, cutting contamination and approaches to material sales.

Beverage Containers: Waste Disposal

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of disposable hot drink cups that are (a) thrown away and (b) recycled in the UK each year.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Although we do not keep or gather specific data related to used disposable hot drink cups, these items are included within our producer responsibility regime for packaging and those manufacturers and retailers placing disposable hot drink cups on the UK market pick up general obligations for meeting the cost of the recycling of packaging. The current UK paper recycling and recovery rate is 77%.

Microplastics: Marine Environment

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the marine environment of banning microbeads in cosmetic products.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Microbeads, like other microplastics, do not biodegrade and therefore accumulate in the environment and can cause serious harm to marine life. There are also suitable, less harmful alternatives. While some countries have opted to ban only those plastic particles added for exfoliating and cleansing purposes, our ban covers all microplastic particles in rinse-off personal care products. It is one of the toughest bans in the world.

Agriculture: Scotland

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) Scottish representative organisations about the replacement of common agricultural policy payments when the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Since taking office the Secretary of State has met the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing, five times. I have also met Mr Ewing. Defra officials talk regularly to the Scottish Government, along with their counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland. Ministers and officials are in regular contact with stakeholders from all of the devolved administrations. In September last year, the Secretary of State attended a roundtable with representatives from key agricultural stakeholders in Aberdeen, and meetings between Ministers and Scottish stakeholders took place in December. The Government has committed to work closely with the devolved administrations and stakeholders to deliver an approach that works for the whole of the UK and reflects the individual needs of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the UK's waste and recycling capacity to deal with domestic waste as a result of the ban by China on importing certain types of waste.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of processing domestic waste no longer exported to China as a result of the ban by that country on importing certain types of waste.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what additional financial support his Department plans to provide to waste and recycling facilities in the UK as a result of the ban by China on importing certain types of waste.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Secretary of State set out the Government’s position in a Written Ministerial Statement on 08 January: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-01-08/HCWS391 We are actively monitoring the exports of waste and likely needs for temporary storage and alternative methods of dealing with waste that cannot be recycled. Current indications are that industry is looking for alternative ways of dealing with the recycled material, including finding alternative markets. We will continue to review the situation as the impacts of the changes manifest. Given the current situation we are not currently expecting to fund additional domestic waste processing and at present there are no plans to provide further financial support to waste and recycling facilities in the UK as a result of the changes to Chinese import policies.

Furs: Trade

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's response to e-petition 200888, whether he plans to extend the existing fur trade restrictions to cover products derived from all commercially farmed and trapped fur-bearing species.

George Eustice: The Government shares the British public’s high regards for animal welfare and after we leave the EU the Government plans to retain the current regulations banning the import of cat and dog fur and products, and the regulations concerning seal skins and products. The Government believes that the best way of phasing out cruel and inhumane farming and trapping practices in other parts of the world which are banned here is to press for higher animal welfare standards worldwide. The Government is not proposing a wider unilateral national ban on the import or sale of fur. This might have a limited impact worldwide and we should also be mindful of the need to comply with obligations under both EU and international trade rules.

Recycling

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what alternatives his Department is considering to weight-based recycling.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Weight based targets have been helpful in increasing action on recycling and continue to play a valuable role as a measure of performance nationally and locally. However, on their own they can lead to a perverse focus on the weight of materials recycled rather than, for example, overall life cycle benefits or resource efficiency and waste prevention. The UK Government has long argued for alternative performance indicators and leaving the EU provides an opportunity to develop these possibilities and to broaden or shift the focus of performance to make sure that resources are used more efficiently and kept in use for longer, to minimise waste and reduce its environmental impacts by promoting reuse, remanufacturing and recycling. The 25 Year Environment Plan commits us to meeting existing waste targets and to developing ambitious new future targets and milestones for recycling. We will be exploring these as part of our resources and waste strategy, to be published later this year.

Furs: Imports

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to make an assessment of the effect on animal welfare of banning the import of furs.

George Eustice: The Government shares the British public’s high regards for animal welfare and after we leave the EU the Government plans to retain the current regulations banning the import of a number of furs such as cat and dog fur, and seal skins and furs from commercial hunts. The Government believes that the best way of phasing out cruel and inhumane fur farming and trapping practices in other parts of the world, which are banned here, is to press for higher animal welfare standards worldwide.

Hunting: Livestock

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the effect of the spread of disease by hunting hounds on livestock on farms.

George Eustice: We have carried out assessments for some specific diseases. There is no evidence to suggest that hunting dogs play a significant role in the spread of disease on livestock farms. We do not therefore propose to carry out any further assessment.

Hunting: Livestock

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether the feeding of fallen stock to hunting hounds in the absence of routine post-mortems is compliant with Commission Regulation (EU) No 142/2011.

George Eustice: EU Regulations 1069/2009 and 142/2011 on Animal by–products provide for competent authorities in member states to authorise the feeding of fallen stock to hounds under conditions which ensure the control of risks to public and animal health provided the material comes from animals which were not killed or did not die as a result of the presence or suspected presence of a disease communicable to humans or animals. Farmers have a legal responsibility to regularly check the health of their animals and report any suspicion of notifiable diseases such as TB and BSE to the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Therefore there is no requirement for routine post mortems to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Hunting: Livestock

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban feeding fallen stock to hounds in light of the risks of infection from potentially diseased carcasses.

George Eustice: Following recent investigations into the risks of feeding fallen stock, controls available within existing legislation have already been strengthened to stop feeding of offal, which may present a greater risk of diseases such as TB, and hunt kennel staff are undergoing training in co-operation with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on how to safely remove and dispose of offal when preparing material for feeding to hounds. In addition, new requirements are also in place requiring that hounds fed on fallen stock are regularly treated for Echinococcus sp (tapeworm) in accordance with the recommendations of a veterinary professional, and records are kept of such treatment for a period of at least two years and made available for inspection by the APHA. Therefore we do not propose to bring forward legislative proposals as controls under existing legislation are sufficient to ensure feeding of fallen stock to hounds takes place in a way which effectively mitigates the risk of infection and spread of diseases.

Incinerators: Waste Disposal

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of (a) incineration waste capacity and (b) the effect of waste incineration on the level of recycling.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The latest figures available for incineration capacity are from 2016 for England. These show there is permitted capacity for 11,360,000 tonnes of municipal and/or commercial and industrial waste. There has been no formal assessment of the effect of waste incineration on the level of recycling. However, the latest published figures on waste managed by local authorities in England in 2016/17 show that the proportion of all local authority waste sent for recycling increased by 0.4 percentage points when compared with 2015/16. The amount of local authority waste sent for incineration increased by 3.5 percentage points between 2015/16 and 2016/17, with a consequent 3.9 percentage point reduction in the proportion of all local authority waste going to landfill over the same period. Defra is currently looking at the overall capacity that may be needed to deal with England’s waste that remains after recycling and re-use. This analysis is ongoing and does not specifically focus on waste incineration. We are developing a new resources and waste strategy which will aim to ensure we have the right mix of waste infrastructure that maximises its value as a resource and minimises its environmental impact.

Incinerators: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on the environment of (a) carbon dioxide emissions and (b) other emissions caused by waste incineration and the energy from waste process.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I refer my Rt Hon Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Stroud on 20 November 2017 to PQ 112708.

Department for Exiting the European Union

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions the Government has had with European Union negotiators on proposals for associate EU citizenship for British nationals who wish apply for that status in the event that the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: EU treaty provisions state that only citizens of EU Member States are able to hold EU citizenship. Therefore, when the UK ceases to be a member of the European Union, British nationals will no longer hold EU citizenship, unless they hold dual nationality with another EU Member State. The Government is determined to get the best possible deal for UK nationals living in the EU and is considering very carefully the options open to it, however associate citizenship is not a matter within the scope of the current negotiations with the EU.

Brexit

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Market Access team in his Department has carried out sectoral impact studies on the effect on the economy of the UK leaving the EU, in addition to the studies released by his Department on 27 November 2017.

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessments have been made by the Market Access team in his Department on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on different sectors of the UK economy.

Mr Robin Walker: We are undertaking a wide range of analysis looking at the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU. The sectoral reports are a part of that. They are not exhaustive, nor are they the final say on any of these issues. The Government is examining all areas of the UK economy and seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders in order to inform our negotiations with the EU.However, Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position.

Small Businesses

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 22 December 2017 to Question 118320, for what reasons there was no reference in the answer to conducting impact assessments of the effect on small businesses of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: An Impact Assessment is typically an appraisal of costs and benefits of a policy intervention, published alongside new legislation or regulations. For example, the Government published an Impact Assessment alongside the EU (Withdrawal) Bill. We will continue publishing Impact Assessments to accompany legislation, where appropriate. In the Answer of 22 December 2017, I highlighted the Government’s extensive engagement with small and medium sized businesses throughout the UK. For instance, through speaking regularly to the Federation for Small Businesses, including on the Business Advisory Group. We also emphasised the work of the SME Advisory Board. The Department for Exiting the European Union, working with officials across government, is undertaking a wide range of analysis to support our negotiations, covering the entirety of the UK economy, including small businesses. We will continue to this analysis, while being mindful of our specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would expose our negotiating position.

European Union: Treaties

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will place in the Library a list of all the bilateral and multilateral agreements that the EU is party to.

Mr Steve Baker: The EU Treaties Office Database is publicly available and provides details of the bilateral and multilateral treaties that the EU is a party to. I would refer the Rt Hon Member to this list. http://ec.europa.eu/world/agreements/default.home.do

Attorney General

Forced Marriage

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2018 to Question 121288, on Forced Marriage, what the timetable is for cascading the 13 December 2017 masterclass and other training by local area forced marriage leads.

Robert Buckland: On 13 December 2017, a masterclass was delivered to all CPS Areas to address the unique difficulties in prosecuting so-called ‘honour’ based violence and forced marriage. This training will be cascaded by the local Area forced marriage leads by the end of June 2018.

G4S and Serco

Afzal Khan: To ask the Attorney General, when the Serious Fraud Office investigation into the G4S and Serco electronic monitoring contracts which was initiated in 2013 is due to conclude.

Jeremy Wright: The SFO criminal investigation into G4S and Serco electronic monitoring contracts is still ongoing. SFO cases are by their very nature complex, lengthy and resource intensive and it is not unusual for them to take a considerable time to be concluded. However, the SFO will publish information about this case on its website when it is appropriate to do so.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many losses and special payments have been made by his Department in the 2017-18 financial year to date; and what the value of those losses and payments have been.

Lucy Frazer: Losses are a decrease in a resource or asset that are outside the normal operations of the business. A special payment is one made outside the normal activities of the business, for example a compensation payment.Details of losses and special payments for the 2017/18 financial year are set out in the table below. This information covers 1 April to 30 September 2017. Please note that this information has not yet completed the internal validation process and may change.Losses and special payments 2017/18(a) LossesNumber of cases£000Total6,9312007(b) Special Payments  Total5,08614,037

Marriage: Humanism

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to extend legal recognition to humanist marriages in order to enhance the diversity of choices for types of marriage ceremonies available to same-sex couples.

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of extending legal recognition of marriages humanist ceremonies; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Assessment of the potential merits of provision for non-religious belief marriages can be found in the consultation paper and response published by a previous Government in 2014 and available at justice.gov.uk. Amending the existing law on marriage to make provision for legally valid humanist ceremonies would involve a range of issues for the Government to consider carefully. We have no plans to amend this legislation.

Prison Officers: Labour Turnover

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of violence against prison officers on the retention of prisoner officers.

Rory Stewart: The safety and security of our prisons must always take priority and action to address retention rates are being taken forward as part of the government’s plan to increase the number of prison officers by 2,500, to improve safety and security. We have already recruited 1,255 extra prison officers over the past year. Exit interviews and qualitative analysis has helped to build an understanding of why prison officers leave the Service. We are actively working with our prisons to drive positive change in the prisons with the highest attrition rates. This includes the appointment of 75 additional prison officer mentors to support our new staff alongside working proactively with Governors to take local action based on the common themes identified. We have invested in in 5,600 body-worn cameras to help protect our prison staff, alongside training to improve interactions with prisoners. These will provide high-quality evidence to support prosecutions brought against prisoners. In October, we also launched a new case management model to help staff to manage violent prisoners and those identified as posing a raised risk of being violent.

Prison Officers

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent from the public purse on (a) hotels and (b) other expenses for prison officers on detached duty in the last 12 months.

Rory Stewart: We are able to provide data on hotels and rail bookings. Please see table below: Month No. Hotel BookingsTotal Cost HotelsNo. Rail BookingsTotal Cost RailDec 2016 533£152,215.55526£17,336.35Jan 2017 751£190,440.04666£25,827.50Feb 2017602£179,890.49612£23,212.35March 2017633£208,199.35622£26.340.40April 2017552£190,137.31621£21,957.80May 2017 566£196,172.76512£20,666.00June 2017 515£185,084.90505£21,249.55July 2017 671£230,523.78499£22,496.65August 2017 857£289,386.37489£20,727.25September 2017767£279.052.29516£24,143.40October 2017837£320,363.26566£26,363.60November 2017845£267,479.50565£23,858.50Total 8129£2,409,893.316699£247,838.95

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been paid in compensation from the public purse to prison staff as a result of injuries suffered in a violent attack on the prison estate in the last year.

Rory Stewart: £450,000 was paid in damages to prison staff in 2016/17 who had brought personal injury claims following alleged assaults.

Emergency Services: Road Traffic Offences

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drivers of emergency vehicles being used for (a) police, (b) fire brigade and (c) medical response duties have been (i) charged, (ii) convicted and (iii) given a custodial or suspended custodial sentence for (A) careless driving and (B) dangerous driving, arising from actions performed as part of their emergency response duties in each of the last five years.

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drivers of emergency vehicles being used for (a) police, (b) fire brigade and (c) medical response duties have had cases against them referred to the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last five years.

Rory Stewart: From centrally held data it is not possible to separately identify motoring offences committed by drivers of emergency service vehicles or identify drivers of emergency service vehicles which had their cases against them referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, without incurring disproportionate cost.

Prison Accommodation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2017 to Question 119037, how many Category B prisoners were held in Category C prisons in each of the last five years.

Rory Stewart: All prisoners are assessed as to their risk of escape or abscond, as well as their risk of harm to the public should they escape or abscond. This ensures allocation of prisoners to a prison that provides appropriate levels of security. Category B prisoners are not routinely held in category C prisons. Small numbers of prisoners that have recently been recategorised to B can be held in category C prisons for short periods pending transfer to a more appropriate location. The number of such prisoners as of 31 December for the last five years are set out in the following table. YearTotal201341201420201514201611201727

Prison Sentences

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria are used to prioritise imprisonment for public protection cases; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Listing of cases for hearings is a matter for the independent Parole Board. The Board is committed to ensuring that all of those entitled to parole hearings are dealt with in a timely fashion and has been focused on reducing excessive delays for all those entitled to parole hearings including indeterminate sentenced prisoners.

Parole Board

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to increase the transparency of Parole Board decisions; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The Government believes that there is a strong argument for reviewing the case for transparency in the process for parole decisions and how victims are appropriately engaged in that process. The Secretary of State for Justice made a statement on this matter on 9 January in the House and has spoken to Nick Hardwick, the Parole Board Chair and Baroness Newlove, the Victims’ Commissioner to discuss what changes might be made. The review, which will be led by the Ministry of Justice, is being accorded priority so that decisions can be taken by Easter and I will share more information on this and the terms of reference shortly.

Sex Offender Treatment Programme

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of its sex offender treatment programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: We are absolutely committed to reducing reoffending and addressing the needs of those individuals convicted of a sexual offence. We keep treatment programmes under constant review to reduce reoffending and protect the public. The new programmes for sex offenders which we have introduced over the past two years, Horizon and Kaizen, draw on the latest international evidence on effective treatment for this cohort of offenders.

Refugees: Families

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of removing legal aid from refugee family reunion cases on those refugees seeking family reunion; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Legal aid for family reunion cases may be available through the Exceptional Case Funding Scheme (ECF), subject to the statutory means and merits tests, where failure to provide legal aid would breach rights under the European Convention on Human Rights or EU law. Changes to the availability of legal aid for civil legal cases were made in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). As part of the pre-legislative consultation process which preceded the passage of LASPO, the Government produced an impact and equality assessment which included the changes to the scope of civil legal cases.

Crime: Victims

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans to introduce new legislative proposals to enshrine in law key rights for victims.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Government has made a commitment to publish a victims strategy in 2018. We are considering how compliance with the entitlements in the Victims’ Code might be improved and better monitored, and how those responsible for delivery of entitlements might be better held to account. We are looking at legislative and non-legislative options to give effect to the strategy.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register: Internet

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the increase in level of capacity of the Register to Vote website was between June 2016 and the end of December 2017.

Chloe Smith: Enhancements to the Register to Vote digital service were completed in December 2016, taking full account of the independent lessons learned review from the website outage that occurred in June 2016. The changes included a significant increase in user capacity. Specific user capacity figures cannot be shared for security reasons.Over 2.9 million applications were submitted between 18 April and 22 May 2017, including a record number of 622,000 applications on the deadline date.

Carillion

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Secretary of 10 January 2018, Official Report cols. 307-8, on Government Contracts: SMEs, what estimate the Government has made of the cost to the public purse of contingency plans in the event of Carillion folding.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Secretary of 10 January 2018, Official Report cols. 307-8, on Government Contracts: SMEs, if he will place a copy of contingency plans for the event of Carillion folding in the Library.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Secretary of 10 January 2018, Official Report cols. 307-8, on Government Contracts: SMEs, which alternative suppliers he has identified in those contingency plans to provide the public services currently provided by Carillion.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Secretary of 10 January 2018, Official Report cols. 307-8, on Government Contracts: SMEs, whether the Carillion contingency plans contain plans to retender the contracts referred to.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Secretary of 10 January 2018, Official Report, cols. 307-8, on Government Contracts: SMEs, who was consulted in the preparation of the Carillion contingency plans.

Oliver Dowden: Our priority is to keep public services running. We have extensive contingency plans and are working hard to minimise any disruption. We have worked closely across government with all affected departments and stakeholders to develop robust contingency plans that enable us to maintain the continuity and mitigate impacts to public services where possible. It would not be appropriate to speculate on commercially sensitive discussions at this time. As these plans contain commercially sensitive information it would not be appropriate to publish them. We will of course keep the House updated on developments as they arise.